Invisible Gems
by semifully
Summary: After the fight with Byakuran, Tsuna lost his memories. Still, he seems to be involving himself further into the lives that once circled him. All27. Takes place after the Future Arc.
1. Chapter 1

Hi! I'm new to the KHR fandom, but it's okay! I love the anime and many pairings, so I couldn't hold back and had to write fanfiction for it! I'm pretty sure there are other fanfics with this idea, but I think this is different compared to those others... And yes, this will be an All27 fanfic, with some side pairings and hints of other pairings. AND yes, that means shounen-ai is included. This story might be confusing, but I hope you can deal with this ;_;. I'm not perfect at writing, but I'll do my best! Please enjoy this fanfic!

**This was not beta'd! If anyone is interested, PM me! :)**

Time: Takes place after the Vongola Guardians save the world from Byakuran. The arc with Enma will not be included.

**Pairings -hints- (for this chapter)**: 9527, 8027, 5927, 3327, 1827, 8059.

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><p><em>I. Lost in an Unknown World (1)<em>

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><p>All he remembered was nothing.<p>

All he knew was that he was "Dame-Tsuna" and would be known as that for who knows how long. He would always be a "no-good" person wherever he goes and he knew that he would never have a chance with the school idol, Sasagawa Kyoko. His life had already failed; all he was useful for was doing errands, but sometimes he could not even do that.

He was a disappointment to everyone and it would remain like that forever. What good was it if his lifestyle continued this way? Everything he does would turn disastrous. He was stupid, clumsy, and useless. No one would want or want to do anything with him...

He awoke in the hospital, that day. He could not remember anything at all, except what he was and always will be. He looked to his side while straining his body; what caused him to be in such a terrible state? No matter how much he pressured his mind to think, nothing came up. He could not even remember clearly of what happened the day before.

A cry... His mother was there, crying happily on the bedside he was facing.

"I'm home, mom..."

What caused him to say that? He really could not recall.

**. 27 .**

None of his questions were answered. The brunet returned home after a week or so after staying in the hospital. Overall, his stay was pretty boring. No matter how much he tried prying the answers from doctors or anyone, no one would answer him.

What happened to him? How did he get himself in such a situation like that? (He figured he was clumsy and got in some accident, but no one said that was necessarily true.) Who was the one(s) that sent him flowers every now and then? Why did the doctors not let him see the visitors he has gotten? (No one told him of the visitors, until he awoke when the doctor was conversing with a group of people just outside his room. Of course, he could not hear the conversation well, but he knew well that they were talking about him.) And most of all, why was there this weird feeling nagging him?

His thoughts were interrupted once he stepped into the school. He stopped for a moment to look at the building. It hasn't changed at all since the week he's missed it. The brunet narrowed his eyes when that strange feeling came back to him. He somehow forced it away, letting out a sigh.

Tiny buds started to form on the bare branches of the trees. It was already turning warmer, he thought. It was the end of winter, coming to spring **(1)**. The boy let a small smile prick the ends of his mouth before rushing into the school building. For some reason, he was looking forward to seeing everyone. But, really, who?

**. 27 .**

He has gotten stares the moment he entered his homeroom. Also, apparently, there seemed to be a new person in the classroom. The young boy could tell that the "new" student was pretty popular, even having groups of many fangirls, much like Yamamoto Takeshi. Of course, he would never be popular like them. His chance of having a social change in school was already ruined.

"Look, Dame-Tsuna is back!"

"Now we have someone to do the errands and cleaning duties for us!"

"He probably skipped school to run away, haha!"

"Five hundred yen that he tripped while coming to school!"

The brunet shrunk down, quickly going to his seat. He glanced at Kyoko, who seemed a bit _too_ concerned for him. Wait, what? Since when was Kyoko concerned about someone like him? Did this...mean something? Hah, in his dreams. He buried his head in his folded arms that were crossed on his desk. The first thing that happens is the usual teasing, and an embarrassing situation for him already on his first day back.

Looking forward to seeing everyone, huh? Screw that.

Two fierce auras were suddenly felt in the air, and the class immediately shut up. The boy looked up from his position and saw that no one was looking at him, now, except for two faces: the new kid with octopus looking hair and the famous baseball idol. They both had stern faces on them. Did he do something wrong to vex them? He only came back, for goodness sake!

There's something...missing, the boy thought. Something was off, definitely off.

**. 27 .**

The classes went by rather slowly. He couldn't even catch up with the lesson, so he gave up in the middle of it. He took the time to study his classmates and see if any change appeared on them. Not much changed, he figured. Everyone was the same, kind of.

For some reason, he noticed that Yamamoto kept looking at him with either worried or curious glances. He wondered why he was getting so much attention from the worshiped baseball star. They never actually talked, only if it was necessary. So, why was Yamamoto suddenly acting so concerned? Was it because he left school for a week? But no one else cared.

Kyoko seemed to do the same thing as Yamamoto. He felt weird, an odd kind of feeling. Why were these two, who were out of his social league, acting strange?

The new student seemed to turn back every once in a while to take a look at him. The boy admitted to himself, the white-haired teen was a bit scary. However, he learned that the other was actually really smart, probably even college leveled. So, why was he even here? And better yet, why was he acting like the other two? Gokudera Hayato, he was a mystery, too.

_Maybe they're looking at each other, instead of me_, the brunet decided. _Yes, that must be it. Gokudera could be staring at Yamamoto since he also sits behind me... They could be staring at each other. Yeah, that's got to be it. They couldn't be looking at me._

He grumbled silently to himself, and turned back to the blackboard while the teacher was talking about who-knows-what. All these strange thoughts ran through the boy's head and he couldn't concentrate much at the lesson anymore. He figured there was only one solution to rid of the thoughts, and that was to take a short nap. Deciding that was the best bet, the brunet slowly closed his eyes and drifted into a short slumber.

**. 27 .**

"OCTOPUS HEAD! YAMAMOTO! SA—... LET'S GO EAT LUNCH TO THE EXTREME!"

That was the first thing the class heard when the Lunch bell started ringing. The captain of the boxing team, Sasagawa Ryohei also known as Kyoko's brother, burst into the room as he slid the door with such extreme force. The so-called "octopus head" only answered with a grunt of annoyance while the baseball star laughed merrily at the demand.

Meanwhile, the brunet turned to the boxer curiously. He was about to say something that started with "sa." Was it him? But, then again, why would someone so liked in school be calling for someone like _him_? It made no sense to him. He shook his head, ridding of the strange thought. Ever since he entered school today, all he's been thinking about was the possible attention he had gotten from the stars of Namimori Middle.

The "dame" student blinked when the short-haired boxer glanced at him. Noticing that they met eye contact, Sasagawa Ryohei turned back to Gokudera and Yamamoto hastily. The brunet bit his lower lip lightly, wondering what that was suddenly about. Did the boxer know him? They have never met, right? So what was this strangeness that he was feeling? He was getting more confused by the minute.

"Let's hurry and go to the roof," the genius of the class said, getting up and motioning for Yamamoto and Ryohei to follow him. Just before the three of them left, they stared a bit at the honey-brown eyed boy until they disappeared from the room.

There was a dazed expression on his face. He knew for certain; they were looking at him. The expressions on their faces was what baffled him the most—pain, hurt, and regret? Why were the _stars_ of Namimori Middle looking at him like that? He did nothing to them, he was sure of that! He had no memory in which he conversed with them. So, why?

The brunet dropped his head on his desk, letting out a frustrated sigh. Nothing made sense, anymore. These strange feelings, what were they supposed to mean? In instinct, the boy put his hands on his hair and pulled lightly on a few strands, hoping to have at least a solution to this...strangeness. But, nothing came up.

His thoughts were interrupted by a stomach growl. He sat up and blushed brightly, knowing that it was him. Sighing, he reached for his bag to take out a bento... What bento? The brunet groaned loudly and placed his head back on the desk with a hard plop. So much for forgetting his lunch, he was starving!

For some reason, the boy turned to the door, having a feeling that _someone_ or a _few_ people would barge in the classroom and deliver his forgotten bento. Hah, as if. Who would go all the way from his house to the school just to deliver a forgotten lunch? The boy knew of no such person.

"Tsuna-kun," a delicate voice spoke, breaking the brunet out of his crazy thoughts. Kyoko looked at him with a small smile. "Is it okay if I call you Tsuna-kun?"

Huh? The no-good student was confused. Why was Kyoko talking to him all of a sudden? He thought that he did not exist in her eyes. Sasagawa Kyoko was the school idol, for heaven's sake! As for him, he was all the way in the bottom of the school's social class! But, the weird thing was that he wasn't getting a bubbly feeling like he usually did. Didn't he like the girl? Really, she was a goddess.

"Sure," the brunet hesitantly answered. "Um, just wondering, but why are you talking to someone like me?"

He noticed her eyes soften, similar to the expression that the other three popular boys shown him previously. What's with these looks? It crept him out a bit. He kind of regretted asking her the question since it just pained him, for some odd reason, to see her like this.

"You're not a no-good person like everyone says," the girl simply answered, the bright smile coming back to her face. "And, I noticed that you didn't have your lunch. Did you forget it by any chance?"

Caught. A bead of sweat dropped from the tip of his face and he nervously laughed. "Yeah, haha... I guess I tend to forget my lunch once in a while... Actually, most times a week..."

This caused the orange-haired girl to lightly giggle in response. The spiky-haired boy smiled, knowing that the sadness that was present just before was no longer there. However, he still didn't know why he was blushing or getting all nervous in front of her. He felt _comfortable_ talking to Kyoko, in friendly terms like this. It was...strange, yet again.

"I have an extra sandwich," Kyoko said, holding it out to the boy she was conversing with. "My brother gave me a sandwich he bought for me, but he didn't know that I already had one. Since I'm not hungry, I figured you can have it. You are hungry, right?"

At cue, his stomach betrayed him by growling right after she asked her last question. His face brightened in embarrassment. He wasn't planning on taking the sandwich since he knew eating just one small sandwich wouldn't fill a person. Kyoko just laughed once more, taking one hand of his and placing the bread on his held out hand. Yet, he wasn't even turning red from the touch.

"Don't starve yourself on purpose, Tsuna-kun. You'll need plenty of energy until you get home. Feeling hungry in class won't do you any good during the remainder of the class, ne?"

"I guess you're right. Ahaha, thanks for the lunch, Kyoko-chan."

His eyes widened slightly when he called her that. Chan? He barely knew her, yet he was already calling her as if she was that close to him! Was he seriously going insane today?

Kyoko blinked, not expecting the brunet to call her the name. However, she smiled right after, reassuring the boy that she didn't mind the name that he called her. A glint of extra happiness shone from her eyes when she heard the said name from his mouth. She was really happy to hear that...really. The girl suddenly felt something wet from the corners of her eyes.

"Ah, Tsuna-kun, I just remembered I had to talk to Hana-chan... I should look for her! Um, and you're welcome for the bread. You don't need to repay me, okay? See you later!"

Before the boy could say anything in response, the girl already sped out of the room in a hurry, closing the door behind her in the process. He blinked on confusion, wondering what happened to the girl all of a sudden. However, his "instincts" told him one thing: Kyoko-chan was about to cry.

Kyoko stopped running when she entered the girl's bathroom. She stopped in front of one of the sinks, looking at her face in front of a mirror. She was beginning to look like a mess, now. All because the boy called her "Kyoko-chan," she just _had_ to tear up.

"Reborn-chan told me to be strong for everyone, and for Tsuna-kun," she told herself in a low mutter. Her voice began to grow shaky, and it made her feel worse. "Tsuna-kun, when will you remember all the fun memories we had with everyone...?"

She was lucky she was by herself in the bathroom at the moment. It would have been awkward if some other girl was there with her. The girl turned on the faucet, splashing water on her face after to clean off the tears that stuck on her pale face. It pained her, having the boss of Vongola to forget all the important matters after just one accident. He didn't deserve it...

"I'm sorry for being so vulnerable, Tsuna-kun... _We're_ all sorry..."

**. 9527 .**

Once the three Vongola guardians entered the roof, Gokudera quickly made his way to the far and other side. He took out a cigarette from his cigarette box and lit it, placing it inside of his mouth. Yamamoto and Ryohei couldn't blame the Storm Guardian. After all, the brunet did happen to forget _every single memory_ they all shared during the time of fighting as a group in the mafia.

Their lunch was forgotten. All that stayed amongst them was a horrendous silence that could have even quieted the loudest people. Hey, Ryohei was silent, wasn't he? Does that prove it enough for you? Lambo probably would have been silent and would not bother to utter a sound or cry.

"Damnit!" Gokudera cursed suddenly, slamming a fist on the fence he was leaning on. The cigarette that was in his mouth spat out, having fallen on the floor. The fist he used was trembling horribly and the other two Guardians were certain that the white-haired was on the verge of crying.

Yamamoto desperately wanted to tap his "friend" on the back and tell him that Tsuna would definitely remember and that things would go back to normal in a while. However, that would have been a lie. There was no guarantee that Tsuna _would_ remember anything. He wanted to cry, too. His best friend was in a critical situation, and as a friend, Yamamoto couldn't do anything...

Ryohei had no strength to shout positives, because there were none. He was out of character; silence was now becoming his best friend. It was as if the boxer forgot how to shout, scream, and yell. Losing his little brother like this, it hurt him so much. This foreign feeling of pain, he couldn't force it out with his fists. Just like the other two, Ryohei felt helpless and weak.

Was there really nothing they could do to revert Tsuna back? Their most valuable and precious friend...

"Reborn-san shouldn't be telling us what to do!" Gokudera screamed harshly. He could already feel his throat tightening and drying with agony and the inability to help his boss. "We should have the right to help Juudaime! Why is it that we cannot do anything like this? IT'S NOT FAIR."

Yamamoto and Ryohei had never seen Gokudera _this_ sentimental. This accident was taking such a hard toll on the Guardians. They were sure that Chrome, Mukuro, even Hibari were also affected by this in some way. Tsuna's permanent loss of his memories felt like the end of the world; it was as if Tsuna had actually died and gone to the other side.

They all never felt this drained, this helpless, this weak. Death itself had already crept away from its cage and entered the so-called "never ending" bond of the Vongola Family. Tsuna was already gone; what was going to happen? Will things really never go back to the way they were—the peaceful times that they all shared were all drained into nothingness. They couldn't dig up the hole of the past nor fill the emptiness of their hearts.

If this was what meant to be in the mafia, they all would have quit a long time ago. But, they remained just for the sake of Tsuna. With him gone, however, what was left?

The silence was deafening, and it stung them cold. The mafia world was so cruel, and the famous hitman was saying not to do anything at all, except let the "boss" be. What was the meaning of the word _family_ if the biggest rope**(2) **that tied them all had snapped? Right now, the whole Vongola was a clam with no sparkling jewel inside of it anymore.

Just with this one accident, everything turned upside-down.

"Gokudera..." Yamamoto silently whispered, walking towards the crying Storm Guardian. The Rain Guardian hesitantly wrapped a single arm around the other. He was relatively surprised that Gokudera made no attempt to shoo his arm away. "It'll hurt Tsuna even more if we just force memories into him... I'm sure Reborn didn't want to hurt him like that..."

"It's still not...fair," the Hurricane Bomber replied in a low voice that was a bit shaky from the tears that trickled down his face. "Why Juudaime? Why couldn't we protect him like we were supposed to? ...Don't you get it, Yamamoto**(3)**? All of us failed by not being there for him!"

"Sawada wouldn't have wanted us to stop him," Ryohei said in a serious tone, surprising for a person like he generally is. "That battle with Byakuran, Sawada wanted to personally finish him off on his own. This final battle, he didn't want us hurt in the field, as well. Though, if we knew that Byakuran's final attack was purposely going to hit Sawada in the head, then I'm sure we could have saved him..."

"That bastard," Gokudera spat. "He caused all this pain around us! That bastard made that attack hit Juudaime at his head on purpose! That fucking monster! He wanted to make us all suffer because he knew that he was going to be defeated by Juudaime's X-Burner!"

Ryohei let out a sad sigh as he placed one of his bandaged hands on Gokudera's shoulder, opposite to the side where Yamamoto was. The boxer turned to the cloudless sky with a sad grin. There was absolutely nothing in the sky, except the blazing sun and even the sun seemed like it was doing nothing to protect the beautiful blue sky. It really hurt him knowing that the weather right now reflected just how he was feeling; it was almost _taunting_ him. If only that fatal accident didn't happen, at all. If only Tsuna was up here on the roof with them, enjoying lunch with everyone and laughing with the cute grin he always had.

Even Ryohei was crying, now. Gokudera's tears were starting to become contagious. All three of them held onto one another in console. The only remedy they had was a smiling Tsuna by their sides, but who knew if that was even going to happen again.

Tsuna was gone, and so were their spirits.

**. 5927 8027 3327 .**

It had gotten boring once again after Lunch, especially for the brunet. After missing school for a while, according to his mom, he missed a lot of work. Then again, it was not like he would have listened in the first place. The boy tried closing his eyes, wanting to sleep but that wasn't working for some reason. All he could resort to was staring at the teacher with a bored expression.

There was one thing the boy was confused with, and that was how he got in an accident in the first place. His body had ached horribly when he woke up, but he couldn't remember anything that happened relevant to so-called "accident" he experienced. His mom wouldn't tell him anything, either. There was something weird that was off in this story, but what? He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Tsunayoshi!" the current teacher called to him, snapping the boy from his thoughts. "Are you paying attention to the lesson?"

The boy blinked, staring at the blackboard with a blank expression. What the hell was his teacher writing, anyway? "No... I mean yes! I mean, wait, what's the correct answer supposed to be?"

The teacher let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head in disapproval. "Well, I cannot blame you since it is your first day since you've come back to school. Why don't you go run an errand for me, then?" The man took went to the front desk, taking out a piece of paper from a pile. "Take this to the office for me and place it on my desk. Easy enough for you?"

"Yes," the boy answered unenthusiastically. Though he was happy to leave the boring lesson, he was reluctant in running the errand.

Huh, he thought in confusion. Why is it that I feel so tired for running errands? It's not like I did much of that in the first place... Mom has always been the one to run the errands. So, why do I feel like I've been doing most of that recently? I've been running errands while Mom was...taking care of something, or taking care of someone? Huh...?

"Well, hurry and get the paper!"

The brunet received a few snickers and giggles from his spacing out. The boy blushed in embarrassment and walked to the front of the room, taking the paper from his sensei's hand. He started to walk towards the door, but couldn't help feeling an odd stare or stares on his back. Deciding to ignore it, he opened the sliding doors and stepped out of the room.

Back inside the classroom, Gokudera and Yamamoto looked towards their "friend" in worry. What was causing him to space out like that? Did it have something to do with the forgotten memories? They highly doubted it, but couldn't help but grab onto the small glimmer of hope in which the boy was starting to remember those precious times...

**. 27 .**

Hibari Kyouya, having pride in the school, was currently patrolling the halls to see if there was any mischief that other students were up to—ones who were cutting, showing affection, or just anything that broke the sacred rules of Namimori Middle (technically, _his _rules). Nothing so far, he has seen, so things were satisfactory for now...

His thoughts drifted to the recent actions that he's experienced. It was weird for a person as aloof as him to think of the fight in the future. Honestly, it had nothing to do with him since most of the success was caused by none other than that weak herbivore, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Really, he had no clue of why that herbivore was constantly invading his mind ever since the bold battle.

That final blow caused by Byakuran, it seemed like the brunet knew about it. That herbivore _knew_ about the consequence of being hit by the attack in the head, so why did he not do anything about it? Hibari was a person who caught on rash decisions such as this, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint to _why_ Sawada Tsunayoshi had not bothered to dodge the blow.

This whole thing confused him, and Hibari Kyouya absolutely hated being confused. It made him feel like a dense puppet just waiting to be controlled by the puppeteer. Right now, that stupid herbivore was the one controlling the strings while the skylark was the one lost under the spell. This angered the prefect greatly for Hibari Kyouya was _never_ controlled by anyone, at all.

He was also well aware of the memories that the Vongola Decimo lost. He was supposed to be one who did not care about something so trivial, so why did this seem so important to him? Hibari Kyouya was a disciplinarian, a person who only concerned for what _he_ thought was right and important. Sawada Tsunayoshi losing every single memories of the Guardians was something he should _not_ care about.

Well, speak of the devil. The said boy was making his way towards the prefect right now.

"Herbivore," Hibari spoke in a questioning tone, but was sort of threatening. "What do you think you're doing roaming around the halls like that? If you're doing something stupid, I'm going to bite you."

"Hiiieeeee! Hi-Hibari-s-san!" Hibari inwardly chuckled, seeing that the scream was still present. "Um, I was asked to drop off a paper in the office and return to the classroom... Um, I didn't do anything wrong! I was just in the middle of running an errand! Honest to god!"

"Hn..."

The brunet could only sweat-drop as the older prefect observed him. He was sure that he didn't do anything to piss off the older boy; it was only his _first day_ back, for goodness' sake! He wasn't even sure of _why_ he was receiving so much attention in just one day. And this attention was from such high and well known students of Namimori Middle...

Hibari narrowed his eyes at the herbivore in front of him, who gulped nervously in response. He could tell well that the second-year student wanted to run away from this situation real soon and that amused the prefect. No matter what, herbivores were still the same as ever.

"Um, Hi-Hibari-san, is it okay if I go now? The teacher might be wondering where I am if I don't return right away... And I d-don't think you want me to stay in the hallways any longer..."

"Shut up, herbivore," Hibari threatened as he took out a single tonfa from who knows where that pops out of and, of course that made the brunet shut his mouth. "Tell me, do you know this ring?"

The disciplinarian held out a fist that contained the Vongola Cloud Ring around one of his fingers. The younger boy blinked, wondering what the ring was. It felt...strange in a way. Had he seen this ring somewhere before? Light bounced onto the ring, showing off the luminosity of the deep violet shade. This ring was beautiful. He wondered if there were rings just like this one.

Still, though it seemed like he felt some weird connection to the ring, he had absolutely no clue of what it was. He shook his head, not knowing where this ring had come from or what it symbolized, if it was to. Though, it did off a wave of comfort and protection, which was oddly...strange. The boy mentally smacked his head, knowing that he had been using the word "strange" too much today.

Hibari let his hand down to his side and let out a sound, acknowledging the boy's answer. He wasn't sure why, but the prefect was disappointed at the response. Was he expecting something...? Was he _hoping_ that the stupid herbivore would remember something from the past? He felt utterly weird, foreign, and confused. Why was this herbivore even affecting him like this, making him question himself?

Most of all, did he want Sawada Tsunayoshi to remember?

"I-I hope you don't mind m-me asking, but is Hi-Hibari-san o-okay?"

Well, Sawada Tsunayoshi didn't change that much, it seemed. The boy still feared him, which had Hibari content. However, that damned emotion of his still remained. He was still concerned for others and so damned kind to everyone. He didn't understand why Sawada Tsunayoshi held on such a weak emotion like that. The skylark only saw concern and kindness as hindrances and mere annoyances. They held back the strong, and aloof people like him didn't need those kinds of traits.

"Ask that again, and you'll be bitten to death."

"Hiiiieeee! I'm sorry! I won't ask again!"

"I'm fine," the prefect grunted, surprising the young boy that the aloof one did actually answer. "Just go back to back to your classroom, herbivore. I'm done talking to you."

He turned to walk off, leaving the brunet confused for a moment. Seriously, what was with today? First the three popular ones, then Kyoko-chan, and now Hibari-san? What was this world coming to? Not that he wanted to exaggerate, but it was a confusing day for the boy. He let out a sigh, not wanting to go through with anything anymore.

He felt lost, confused, and hurt. Everyone he confronted today looked concerned for him, yet why did this hurt him so much? In such a strange way, he felt like there was something amiss the people he had encountered and observed. Maybe he was thinking too much about this. Yes, that must be it...

The boy wasn't sure what came over him all of a sudden. A single tear managed to roll down from one of his eyes, until it fell onto the floor, leaving a small space of liquid. Why was he feeling this way? It made no sense, anymore. He wanted to know what this harsh burning in his throat was. He wanted to know what the quick beating of his heart was. He wanted to know what the horrible trembling of his body was.

"Wait...Hibari-san, come back... Tell me what's going on, please."

His voice was too soft. There was no way that the prefect was going to hear him since the raven haired boy was probably back in his office by now. He was begging to know what was going on. He felt...lost in an unknown world, shrouded by mystery and nothingness. It scared him to the core.

A core so deep; there was no way anyone would dig him up and save him.

**. 1827 .**

A figure stared at the lone boy in the hallway from his hiding spot, which was on the sharp turn of the hallway behind. The figure let out a sigh, seeing the broken brunet standing not far away. Knowing that the young student did possess some hyper intuition, he quickly fled from the place.

"Be safe, Tsuna..."

**. ?27 .**

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><p><strong>1 <strong>This story is going to take place in the Spring time, since I feel like making it then.**  
>2 <strong>"Tsuna" in Tsunayoshi can mean rope. "Yoshi" means lucky. Technically, his name can also be translated as "lucky rope," or "lucky tuna." xD**  
>3 <strong>I don't think Gokudera would bother to call Yamamoto "baseball idiot/freak" at this kind of situation.

This is the first part of _Lost in an Unknown World_. I hope it was good. o_o I don't think it was, though... Eheh. And yes, out of character-ness for Ryohei. I'm not too happy with it, but meh. It's the best I could do. Also, Hibari is slightly out of character, I think. Sorry about that, haha. I just hoped this was good for you readers and that you enjoyed! Let me know what you guys thought about this!

Look forward to the second installment! ^^

Oh, and if you're wondering, I got the title from the song "Yakusoku no Basho e" (the Vongola vs Millefiore) by the seiyuus of KHR! I think Giannini says this part, lol! :D


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for all the favorites, alerts, and reviews, guys! I'm happy to know that a couple of you are enjoying this fanfic so far, even though it's a total failure :P. I wasn't sure if it would have been all that good since I wasn't all that satisfied with it, but you guys seem to be okay with the way things are going right now so that made my day! All your reviews have given me motivation to keep working on the fanfic, so thank you! :) Let me know what you all think about this one~.

**TukkT: **Thank you! I hope you like this chapter and further interest you!  
><strong>Heartless35: <strong>Uwa, thank you so much!  
><strong>Chrome Nagi Dokuro<strong>: Thank youuu! :)  
><strong>permasmile<strong>: Hehe, I already replied to you. :D Once again, thank you for taking your time to write the long review and correct my mistakes! Hope you like this chapter! This is for you~. C:  
><strong>Dream36<strong>: Thank you for the extra 'o's! LOL. xD

Oh, I forgot to write a disclaimer for the last chapter, so... **Disclaimer**: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! O: .

**Pairing Hints**: 1827, 5927, 8027, 3327, 9527 , 8627, R27.

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><p><em>I. Lost in an Unknown World (2)<em>

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><p>The teacher stopped talking once the door slammed open. He had expected Sawada to come back from the errand, but to his surprise it was none other than the famous disciplinarian standing with a tonfa in one arm. He gulped in fear from seeing the harsh look on the youth and could feel a shiver go up his spine. A dangerous aura emitted from the prefect and the teacher was too afraid to ask what the young man wanted.<p>

Hibari glanced at the room, seeing many students in the classroom cower in fright of his very presence. A smirk began to form on his handsome face, teasing the ones who were ready to faint from the apprehension. However, it was not the time to fool around. His eyes stopped at the silver-haired smoker for a brief moment and then he turned to face the baseball star in the back.

"What do you want, bastard?" Gokudera yelled out loud, standing up from his seat as he glared at the prefect at the door. "I'm not in the mood for your stares! If you want a fight, then come here and take me on like a man, damnit!"

"Maa maa, Gokudera," Yamamoto called out, getting up from his seat as well. He turned to Hibari with a slight serious look. "Hibari, if you have something to say, then please say it. I think half of the class is ready to run out of the other door..."

Yamamoto Takeshi was one who did not show fear and saw everything in a calm manner, which Hibari was slightly amused about. Still, the baby did say that Yamamoto was a natural born hitman, which made him one of the most powerful guardians of the Vongola Family. The prefect smirked in response at the boy, who still had a stern face.

"Herbivores," Hibari said, getting the two's attention. He then turned to Kyoko, who blinked confusedly. "Sawada Tsunayoshi..."

"What did you do to Juudaime?" the bomber bellowed, cutting off Hibari and rushing up to the once talking boy. He raised a fist and grabbed the prefect harshly by the collar. "You did something to him, didn't you? You're definitely in for it this time! I don't care if you're strong and a part of us, but if you did something to Juudaime then I won't forgive you!"

The athlete quickly ran towards the two students and separated them before anything bad happened. If he hadn't been there on time, there probably would have been a commotion going on and a big fight to prove that. The spiky-haired boy let out a sigh of relief when Hibari nor Gokudera made no movement in resisting. Kyoko also found herself going up to them, knowing this involved her, too.

"What happened to Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked in a dangerous tone, not showing any of his usual carefree personality, which scared the class even more. "You didn't hurt Tsuna, did you?"

"Humph," the prefect let out. "Look for him. He's unharmed, but does not seem to be such a well state. I would look after that weak herbivore if I were any of you. I could care less if you all think I was the one to make him already weak as he is."

With those said words, Hibari walked out of the room, not even bothering to looked back at the three's bewildered faces. It had taken a while for them to register the said words. The Disciplinary Committee leader had said something about the brunet, something about not being in a well state? Why would Hibari bother to confront them about the boy?

"Yamamoto-kun! Gokudera-kun!" Kyoko looked at the two boys with a worried expression. "We should look for Tsuna-kun. Something might have happened to him... You guys go first, okay? I'll go get onii-chan and catch up!" She turned to the teacher, bowing her head. "Please excuse us, mister! Something's come up and we'll make up the work later! Let's go, Yamamoto-kun, Gokudera-kun!"

The two nodded and the three went their separate ways; Kyoko went towards the stairs to get her brother who was on the third floor while the other two boys ran the other way to where the office was. They were all worried; each of them prayed silently for the brunet's safety.

It was not under a little later that Gokudera sped up quicker. Yamamoto followed suit, knowing that they had found the one they've been searching for. There was the brunet's lifeless body on the floor, collapsed from an unknown reason. The air in their throats hitched with anxiety from the fearful sight in front of them as one of them shouted in shock.

"TSUNA!"

**. 18 80 59 95 .**

_There are little lights floating in the sky... Oh no, wait, they're shards. But, they're not sharp. In fact, they're warm when I touch them. This feeling...it feels nice. Just being surrounded by these little jewels, I don't want to leave this place though it feels so lonely._

_Oh, am I the only person here? No wonder it is so quiet. Not a sound is heard in here...yet, it's so beautiful. There are white lilies swaying in the direction of the breeze and bright grass reflecting from the sun setting in the horizon. I think I might want to live here, actually..._

_Huh? Is that a person far back there? Though I can't tell who it is...I can tell he or she is giving off such a depressing aura... Eh, I'm crying now. There are tears coming out of my eyes. Am I...starting to feel that person's emotions? Wait, are you crying, too?  
><em>

_He or she is handing me something? Do you want me to catch it? ...Oh, it's one of the shards. Ah, my heart hurts...! What is this overwhelming feeling? Why cannot I control how I feel? Why is this making me hurt even more inside? My tears aren't stopping. I can't stop them. Please, tell me what's going on? You, I don't know who you are but...why is it that you're making me feel worse?_

_The person is mouthing something, but I can't make out what it is. Though I don't know what that person is saying, my chest starts to ache even more and I can feel the intensity of this person's feelings. It's soft, but heartbreaking..._

_Wait...! I know who you are! Wait, everything is fading! All the shards are disappearing! No, wait, I have to stay and approach the person! Hold on... No... It's no use...!_

"_Goodbye, Tsuna..."_

Tsuna shot his eyes open and quickly sat up. He blinked, confused about where he was all of a sudden. He was surrounded by white all over. Oh, he realized, it was the school infirmary. Wait, why was he here? He was on his way to the teacher's lounge, but suddenly he was in the infirmary? That made no sense.

_Okay_, the boy thought while trying to recollect his happenings, _I was on my way to the lounge with the paper in my hand. On my way, I bumped into Hibari-san who asked me something really weird. He asked about that perplexing purple ring, which made me feel tingly and strange. What was so alluring about that ring that made me feel so captivated? I don't remember seeing that ring in the first place!_

_Then again...it felt as if I did._

The brunet shook his head. He was getting weird thoughts throughout this whole day of his coming back. Thank goodness tomorrow was a day-off. Maybe he could think more about the situation then. Right now, the boy's head was pounding with an unknown sense.

"Wait...why am I in here the first place?" Tsuna questioned to no one in particular. "I was in the hallway, so did someone bring me here?"

"You fainted," a voice answered for him.

The boy in bed jumped in surprise, not expecting anyone to be here with him. He finally turned to the side where the voice came from and noticed the baseball star against the wall with his usual and casual grin. He relaxed a little from seeing the big smile on the other's face. Really, he would have fainted right in bed _again_ if it was Hibari-san or someone scary.

Hm, but how did Yamamoto get here? Did the jock leave the classroom just to find him? That isn't possible since they hardly know each other! ...Unless the teacher asked him to find the pathetic other. That made sense... But then again, the teacher wouldn't care.

"If you're wondering, Hibari informed the class that you looked weak," Yamamoto answered, still with the grin. However, his eyes shone with worry. "You're in luck. You would have lain on that dirty hallway floor if it wasn't for Hibari informing us. I came here with Gokudera, Kyoko, and her brother, too. They went to get some food and drinks for all of us."

The brunet looked down, gripping the sheets tightly with his delicate fingers. Yamamoto eyed the boy with curiosity and confusion.

"Why?" he asked, confusing the baseball jock. "Why are you all being so kind even though we don't know each other? Why are you all bothering with someone pathetic like me? I don't understand... You should be hanging out with other popular kids in Namimori Middle, as well as the others. I'm just a nobody. And yet, you're all making me feel so...broken. I don't understand any of this...! I feel so damn lost!"

Yamamoto widened his eyes, not expecting the sudden outburst of the younger boy. His gaze softened to that of pity. He couldn't stand seeing his once-before friend so hurt and pained. ...What were they, now? Strangers? Acquaintances? All he knew was that they were no longer labeled as best friends, better yet even friends. Tears were even threatening to fall from his eyes, while the brunet was already silently sobbing.

Their friendship was already shattered; and the guardians could do nothing to save their boss.

"Because...all the bonds and memories...are invisible gems."

The brunet's breath hitched to a stop as he widened his eyes at what the baseball star said. He looked up to where Yamamoto was standing and he could see the sorrowful look in Yamamoto's eyes. That expression clutched at the boy's heart tightly. For some reason, he wanted to hug the baseball jock saying that everything was okay, but why, especially when everything _was not_ okay.

And besides, what did Yamamoto mean behind those words?

"I don't understand..." He was being honest. Right now, his mind was swirling with such emotional sentiments. This unknown world he was in...he wanted to break himself from the tangling vines and break himself free to the familiarity.

Familiarity, that is what he's been feeling the whole time! Why couldn't he think of that before? But, wait, why did all this feel so damn familiar? Now he was back to square one, but possibly a step closer in figuring out this mystery of the trapped world he was in.

Yamamoto looked up to the other boy and forced a smile, one that still contained hurt. "Sorry, I don't know why I said that. I'm...kind of feeling a bit sentimental right now and I don't even know why. It's not your fault, er... Tsuna...yoshi..."

Both of them couldn't help but feel the uncomfortable tension that had formed tangibly after the popular guy said the other's name. The name had been said in such a weird way that it sounded foreign even for the boy bearing that name.

"Tsuna," the brunet said, deciding that it sounded better that way. "Just call me Tsuna. Your saying of my full name sounds a bit...awkward."

The baseball jock couldn't help but chuckle at that. Tsuna smiled, knowing that the awkward tension had disappeared.

"Alright, then, Tsuna... Call me Yamamoto, too. Oh, you should know that school ended around four hours ago."

He blinked, wondering if that was true. The boy quickly got up from bed, only to find himself falling from the sudden movement. Luckily for him, Yamamoto quickly made his way to the falling boy and caught him before his fragile body impacted the ground. Tsuna smiled at him brightly in thanks, and the taller student couldn't help but blush faintly.

Yamamoto was right. The sun was about to set. He must have worried his mom since he didn't inform her about his sudden faint attack. Letting out a frustrated sigh, the brunet scratched his head not knowing what to do. He was dizzy, beyond that. It was as if a train just ran over his head and he was still alive. Metaphorically, of course. His mom was so going to be in her overprotective mood once he gets back home.

The awkward silence came back, and the boy knew that thousands of babies were born at that moment. Though, he didn't know why. He felt reassured, in an uncomfortable way, if that made sense at all. Scratch that, it made _no_ sense at all. He was just being stupid.

Yamamoto was trying to hide the hurt he was feeling currently. Tsuna could tell that the jock was trying to hide those emotions with a fake, more like a _forced_ smile. This hurt the boy in bed himself, and yet he could do nothing to console Yamamoto right now. He didn't even _know_ the popular boy. And yet, why the hell was he bothering with a no good like him? That question was still plaguing his mind.

His mind went back to the previous words that Yamamoto said. Memories and bonds? Invisible gems? What the flying crap was that about? It could have been that the taller boy was muttering nonsense, but it seemed too coincidental. The brunet was feeling a sense of familiarity and all day he felt something that he had forgotten. Something or something_s_ too important and full of value.

But, what? Bah, these thoughts were hurting him. He never thought this hard in his life! ...Life. Something was missing in his life, Tsuna decided. He has yet to figure out what that is.

"I... I'm as confused as you are," Yamamoto softly spoke. "I can see the confusion written on your face. I...don't know if I have answers for you. Everything right now is in a turmoil and I hate it—the way things are right now. I want to... I... Sorry, Tsuna, I have to go."

"Ah, wait—"

The brunet raised a hand, wanting to stop the athlete, but Yamamoto left briskly without another sound. Tsuna blinked. What the hell was that about? What the hell was _anything_ about? He held his head in one hand, the pain throbbing even more. Was it because of what Yamamoto said? ...Was Yamamoto even _capable_ of saying such bizarre things like that?

"I seriously need to do something about my life," the brunet sighed for the umpteenth time. Things were becoming more and more mysterious by each word and action he had seen.

**. 8027 .**

"Baseball freak, where the fuck do you think you're going?"

Yamamoto stopped once Gokudera yelled at him. He didn't even know where the hell his feet were taking him. Hell, he wasn't aware that he passed Gokudera, Sempai, Kyoko, and...Haru? Er, whatever. The girl always appeared at the most random times, anyway. He continued gluing his eyes to the floor, which looked so alluring right now. The athlete couldn't bring himself to look at the confused group.

"Did something happen between you and Tsuna-kun?" the orange-haired girl asked with genuine concern in her tone.

Nothing happened, and yet Yamamoto wanted to run away from the mentioned boy. At least starting over would have been nice and things may have led _somewhere_, even if the bond wouldn't be as best friends—at least friends as a start-up. But, no. The raven-haired boy was being stubborn as hell. He just couldn't bring himself to face the brunet.

If anything, Tsuna should be the more confused one and the one in most pain. He was just acting like a stubborn baby who couldn't hit a home-run with an easy hit. Damn this whole thing! He was on the same level as everyone else. He shouldn't be the only sentimental one!

"No, haha..." A feigned laugh, and anyone, even an ant, could tell it was forced out. "I'm sorry... I just remembered that I had to help my dad cut some sushi. I promised I would help him today." What a lie. A god damned lie. "I'll see you all tomorrow, okay?"

He turned around this time, his signature grin on his face. Still, the others could tell it was one stabbed with needles and controlled with puppet strings. Yet, no one had the guts to point out the obvious faking of his tone and smile. This hurt him more than they previously thought...

Yamamoto went on his way outside the school, not even bothering to look at the expressions of his friends (if Gokudera counted as a friend). Come to think of it, he only earned those friends because his life circled around Tsuna. Tsuna, his best friend and treasured boss...

God, why did things have to turn like this? Yamamoto was carefree; he never really felt that bothered by things outside of his hobbies, so this was one of those rare times he felt severely wounded by a circumstance so emotional. Sure, he had his share of cuts and bruises, but this was _too_ much for him to bear. This pain was nothing compared to physical pain.

When he found out that Tsuna was hit badly on the head by the attack made by the Millefiore boss, worry consumed him. But, this was Tsuna they were talking about. All these battles and sufferings the group went through...things would turn out for the better, right?

Well, screw that saying. Things turned absolutely _worse_. Tsuna, the kindhearted boss who did not deserve any of this, had taken the full blow of the consequence. The poor boy who became nothing to something and who obtained so many memories that he didn't think would get _lost all of those precious times_. Tsuna's mind became a dark hole of nothing. Things went back to the beginning for the brunet.

Yamamoto felt so damned guilty for not being able to do anything. Every single captured moment with him and his invaluable circle of friends had just shattered to broken gems. And everyone knows once jewelry is broken, it will never return to its previous state. Once broken, always broken. And right now, that's how the athlete felt; never to be fixed.

He found himself at the spot where Tsuna had saved him from falling to his doom. He was so cool then, Tsuna that is. The boy tried to save him from the unnatural suicide by the athlete who never dared to think about such horrendous thoughts. It was thanks to the brunet that he was living right now, breathing with him.

But now, Tsuna was gone. Not literally, but it felt all the same. It hurt him that Tsuna had forgotten every single living moment they shared. Life was always like this, having its ups and then falling down to a bitter core. Usually these kinds of situations had its happy ending, but it didn't seem likely right now. Yamamoto may be an idiot when it comes to logical calculations and anything related to math, but he wasn't stupid to figure out that everything returning to normal was almost zero percent.

It would have been ironic if rain started to fall... Oh, what the hell, it was drizzling now. Still, falling drops of water calmed the boy. He wondered if this had anything to do with holding the position as the Rain Guardian of the Vongola Family. After meeting Tsuna, the athlete had grown to love this kind of weather despite the rain sometimes delaying or canceling his baseball practices.

Closing his eyes, Yamamoto allowed the rain to soak him as he gently lifted his head towards the gray sky. Funny how it was just sunny when he was back in Tsuna's company. This made everything seem too coincidental and so damned ironic. Was the sky and the rain mocking him with the certain predicament he was in? Haha, very funny.

"Tsuna..." the tall boy lightly said as the last syllable rolled softly from his tongue. He sighed deeply, letting his head fall back down. "If only I knew things were going this way, I would have..."

For some reason, he couldn't finish his sentence. Hell, he didn't even know _how_ to finish the sentence. What would have he done? Stop Byakuran? Like he could have done that; there was a strong barrier that blocked off everything since it was made of the sky element. He wanted to curse the sky attribute for being so powerful, yet so lonely. It described the Decimo so damn well.

In all honesty, Yamamoto wanted to confront Tsuna and spill everything to him. All the past memories and all the times in the future and the present. Every single detail. But, Reborn forbid it. He knew Gokudera found it unfair and Yamamoto tried reasoning to himself that things were at best with how they were now. But, he had thought it was unfair as well. His heart desperately wished to grasp on Tsuna's hold once more, but his mind knew it was not right...

His tears finally fell, mixing in with the tears of the sky. So badly did Yamamoto want to curse everything that made things like how they were now. But, what good would that do? He had to control his anger and not let that get the better of him. Still, his sadness ruled over all of his emotions.

He couldn't bear the fact that he had lost the most precious person to him. And in his own way, Yamamoto was lost in his unknown world. The facts burned his soul and incinerated all the happiness that once had been there when he was with Tsuna.

Why hadn't all this been fiction?

**. 8027 .**

"Spoiled idiot," the bomber spat, watching the retreating figure of the baseball player. "It's not like he's the only one hurt by Juudaime's loss of memory..."

Haru let out a sigh, turning to the window that had shown gray clouds coming in view. "You can't blame Yamamoto-san. After all, the two were best friends..."

"Stupid woman... You just say the most annoying things, you know."

"Hahi? Haru is not stupid, desu!" The girl stuck her tongue out at the silver-haired, who growled back. "Haru is just concerned for Yamamoto-san's being! Tsuna-san really treasured Yamamoto-san, like he treasured everyone else..."

Another silence found the way to the group. Really, everyone was even surprised by the silence Ryohei had in him. It was disbelieving, since the said boxer was always looking at the bright side of things and shouting out securities to everyone. Being depressed was something that no one believed would be in the older athlete's vocabulary or state of being, but that was proven wrong.

Speaking of the said person, Ryohei was definitely struck beyond belief. He believed that Tsuna would come out victorious from the last battle in the future, and technically that was true... However, the victory came with a price and oh, what a god damned prize this had turned up to be. A win for a loss, go figure. The stopping of Byakuran's complete obliteration of control for Tsuna's memory.

Right now, the boxer wasn't sure which was worse: Byakuran's fatal defeat or the fatality of Tsuna's mind. Both were incredulous yet mind-blowing (no pun intended). All of this reasoning and thinking did hurt Ryohei's brain, but he couldn't help but think all this through. He needed to shout what he was thinking, but the only place and time was in his mind. Maybe when he was alone he would literally shout everything out.

But, gah, Tsuna... The boxer felt so bad for the poor boy. What did Tsuna do to deserve this when his only intention was to stop the maddening white-haired enemy and to protect his loved ones? Tsuna was so damn pure to get such a cruel punishment. Really, _everyone_ in the Vongola Family and those connected to Tsuna didn't deserve such a cruel fate. Dealing with the said boy's memory loss was outrageous.

"Onii-chan!"

Ryohei broke out of his thoughts, seeing the younger students looking at him in worry. The older one laughed nervously, waving one bandaged hand to show that nothing was up. Though he received dubious glances, the whole matter was dismissed. He sighed in relief, not getting any questions for his out of character personality. It would have been bothersome.

The boys carried the drinks carefully so that nothing would spill, even though all they wanted to do was drop in defeat. Still, they couldn't think selfishly like that. The girls were going through the same roundabout feelings of loss, uncertainty, and depression. It was amazing how one person could affect so many hearts and minds like this.

Kyoko lightly opened the door of the infirmary. Like they expected, Tsuna was there but the brunet looked so deep in his thoughts to notice the new company. The girl smiled softly, approaching the said boy and shook his shoulder lightly. This broke Tsuna out of his train of thoughts and he blinked at Kyoko in confusion. He then turned to see that there were more people, and one face that he had never seen in the school.

Haru noticed the confused look Tsuna was giving her. She smiled the best she could. "Hi, you must be Tsuna-san! I'm Miura Haru. Haru don't go to this school, but I'm Kyoko's best friend so I decided to visit her. She told me about you and I decided to tag along... Haru hopes you don't mind the extra person..."

Well, it wasn't a complete lie. The girl was glad that Tsuna bought the lie, though. Well, of course he would. Tsuna was oblivious to many things, and most certainly would he not believe that the boy once knew her.

"Oh, not at all!" Tsuna flashed an adorable smile to the girl. "I'm happy you cared to show up even if we never met. It's nice to meet you, Miura-san."

"Haru," the girl chirped. "Just call me Haru!"

"Okay, Haru."

Said girl was tempted to show a sad smile after that. The way Tsuna said her name, it was like the old times... Oh, how desperately she wanted those old times to come back. She wanted the Tsuna she loved so dearly back. The Tsuna who would constantly deny the fact that they would be married. The Tsuna who was shy at such love matters. The Tsuna...that everyone loved.

However, she wasn't aware of Tsuna's hyper intuition which still stayed with him. "Ah, Haru... Is something wrong? You look sad."

"Eh? No, nothing is wrong! Haru is just thinking about something... Oh! We all brought drinks for everyone. We brought one for Yamamoto-san, but he had to leave and help his dad."

Tsuna buried his eyebrows at the name. He knew there was something really wrong with Yamamoto. Tsuna knew that the baseball star was full of smiles, grins, and a carefree personality. Yet, the boy saw a whole different side of the athlete. This side...hurt him. They didn't know each other and weren't close, right? So, why was this affecting him so much?

Gokudera passed a drink to Tsuna, who blinked after being brought out of his thoughts _again_. The shy boy softly thanked the smoker for the drink. No matter how nice Gokudera was acting, Tsuna still felt intimated under the silver-haired boy. It was...as if Gokudera could blow up the school if he wanted to! (Not that Tsuna knew how true the fact was.)

Ryohei went to ruffle the brunet's hair in a light manner. Tsuna closed one eye since his bangs were getting to it and while that, the smaller boy couldn't help but think how _brotherly_ the action was. It made him feel so warm and so loved...

Bah, these thoughts just proved how weirdly Tsuna was thinking. There was no way all these people crossed the line of "acquaintance." He doubted they were all labeled as friends! Well, maybe Kyoko-chan, but still... Why did his heart want to deny the obvious fact that these people were _too important for him_? He felt belonged, but that was just utter nonsense.

Why couldn't things feel normal?

"Sawada..." The boxer's baritone voice lingered in the air. "It's raining outside. You don't have an umbrella, right? I don't think you're even in the condition to walk by yourself. You look like you're suffering from an extreme headache." Geez, Ryohei realized, the way he used "extreme" in that sentence was definitely out of character.

"Oh... I don't have an umbrella. I wasn't even aware that it was going to rain."

"I'll take you home," Ryohei said with a grin. "You don't mind, right Kyoko?"

"Huh, oh no! I was going to stop by the cake shop with Haru-chan today, anyway. You don't mind if we still stick to that plan despite the rain, right, Haru-chan?"

"We can go, Kyoko-chan! Haru is still up for some cake!"

The tension that was once there was lightened, Tsuna noticed. All of them, maybe even Gokudera, were smiling at the scene. It felt...familiar and nostalgic. The light levels of laughter was enough to bring the room in a calming atmosphere. He wondered if this had to do with the calm expression the sky was giving, even though it was raining heavily.

Tranquilizing... Hm, why did he think of that word all of a sudden?

**. 3327 5927 9527 8627 .**

The boxer looked like a loud person, but that didn't seem likely at all right now.

All that was evident under the shared umbrella was a deafening silence. Tsuna hoped to strike some kind of conversation and he attempted to, but Ryohei was too deep in his thoughts to even realize the hard working attempts given by the brunet. After a few attempts, Tsuna gave up.

He wondered what the older one was thinking about. Whatever it was, it seemed serious. Ryohei had this scary look to him that Tsuna didn't want to ask the boxer about it. Still, the boy was really curious. What was Ryohei thinking so extremely about?

All of a sudden, the said boxer noticed that Tsuna was looking at him curiously. The older boy couldn't help but flush slightly at the adorable look Tsuna was giving him. He coughed a bit and let out a sigh, ruffling the brown hair once more before putting on a sad grin.

"Anything up, Sawada?"

"Uh... Sasagawa-san—" The boy stopped mid-sentence just like that. Ryohei blinked, wondering what Tsuna was about to say. However, he couldn't help but put on a small frown from the way the younger boy said his name. He was so used to the other way, this sounded so foreign...

Tsuna wondered why he stopped, too. He knew what he was going to say, but suddenly halted after he said the name. God, why did it sound so weird? Maybe Sasagawa-senpai sounded better? ...No, it still sounded weird. What was he supposed to call him to rid of the strangeness in the name?

Ryohei noticed the hesitation. He figured it was the way the brunet said his name. Tsuna had always called him "onii-san" from the beginning and it was how it ended up with. But, it would be too awkward for Tsuna to start calling him that name. They were...only acquaintances. Only that. The thought hurt Ryohei so much that he wanted to hug Tsuna, telling him that they were once very close friends, but... Bah.

"Sasagawa-senpai... How do you know the directions to my house?"

Well, crap. The older one didn't think this through. It was true. They already arrived to Tsuna's house in a flash and the brunet made no comment in which way to go. ...Shit, he _really did not _think this through at all. How was he supposed to explain this to Sawada without suspicion?

"Uh... Call it a boxer's intuition! Haha!"

Bland lie. And so obvious. However, Tsuna, being oblivious as he is, blinked and nodded. Still, there was the nagging hyper intuition telling him otherwise but Tsuna chose to ignore that feeling. Ryohei sighed in relief as he made his way to the front doorstep of the Sawada residence.

As of cue, Nana opened the door. She was relatively surprised to see Ryohei side by side with Tsuna. If she recalled, Reborn had said not to mention anything to her son, so why was Ryohei there with him? She blinked the surprise out and turned to Tsuna with a worried look.

"You're late, Tsu-kun," the woman stated the obvious. "I was worried that something happened..."

"Well, I fainted," Tsuna lamely answered. "And I woke up in the infirmary not long ago. Some classmates looked after me, so everything turned out okay, I guess... Sasagawa-senpai offered to walk me home since I didn't have an umbrella and I kind of have a mind-blowing headache..."

Nana turned to Ryohei with a thankful smile. "Thank you so much for taking care of my son. He's really fortunate to have someone so kindhearted like you."

"It's okay, Sawada-san!" Ryohei pumped a fist excitedly. "It was all extreme! And besides, Sawada makes such great company!" He turned to Tsuna with a broad smile. "See you at school TO THE EXTREME, SAWADA! Next time, I'll invite you to lunch!"

"Ah, okay! Take care, Sasagawa-senpai!"

Once Ryohei was out of hearing range, Nana motioned for her son to enter the house. She smiled warmly to Tsuna. "You've met some exciting friends, huh?"

"Friends? Ah, I'm not sure... Albeit, they were all nice people. I hope...things could be exciting as it was today... I'm going to bed, okay, mom? I'm really tired."

"Okay, honey."

Friends...? Tsuna smiled to himself as he made his way to the stairs. Maybe they could all be labeled as friends soon enough. That had a nice ring to it. His thought was terminated once he tripped over the last step. And, of course, the label of "Dame-Tsuna" still stuck.

**. 3327 .**

The boy let out a sigh, walking towards the shopping district as he dragged his feet. Since his mother was busy taking care of chores in the house, she had asked the boy to buy some groceries needed for the week and for the upcoming supper. Well, there goes his exciting Sunday of planning to play video games all day.

Still, it was nice to get out. The weather was nice and the rain had stopped hours back. Only a few puddles remained from the previous night and the brunet was willing to jump over some, letting out a giggle every now and then from the childish play.

Ah, the supermarket was coming in view. Gripping the list of groceries in his hand, the boy quickened his pace so that he would be finished with the errand soon enough for him to have time to complete the video game that he was playing just last night.

He suddenly halted. A sharp wave of...something struck him and he whipped around to see if there was anything. However, there were only people walking the streets like usual, some alone and some in groups. Still, he felt a strong tension at that second. He was sure he passed a group of people, but who? There were too many people to figure out exactly which one.

Tears were pricking the corners of his eyes. Wait, what? Tears? Why...? Tsuna blinked, letting the drops fall freely. His hands were trembling harshly as he brought them to his face. No wait, this was illogical. Why was he crying all of a sudden? Nothing made sense anymore!

"Re... Re..." The one syllable sounded like a mantra. The boy couldn't help but let out the two lettered sound out over and over. Tears fell harshly now and his throat hitched. It was getting a bit harder to breathe now that his emotions were getting the better of him.

Was it a word, a name, a random sound he wanted to let out? Tsuna wasn't sure what was driving him insane at the second. This whole wave of heartbreaking sentiment was washing him; the ocean churned from side to side in his body and the boy couldn't stop the storm inside him. This hurt, so much.

"Re...!" He was shouting now. People stopped to stare at the brunet, who had fallen to his knees soon enough. This emotional breakdown... What was the cause? Tsuna wanted answers so badly. The strong feelings of familiarity and nostalgia were plaguing him.

"RE...!"

He broke down. His honey-brown eyes widened as his whole body trembled at this troubling sensation. Tsuna couldn't stop. No, he _wouldn't_ stop.

Being lost in an unknown world... The sparkling gems stabbed him until he was no more.

**. R27 .**

* * *

><p>Damn, I wrote so much for Yamamoto. Well, at least we have a share of 8027, my number one favorite pairing, hehe! I think I made Yamamoto and Ryohei OOC. T_T I tried to do my best for them, but I keep making them more depressed. I'm sorry if this bothers anyone :( . I hope it wasn't that bad... Those two are hard to write at times, haha. And I think I tortured Tsuna a lot in this chapter, whoops! xD.<p>

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! It'll help motivate me for my upcoming chapters! I'll try to update often, but I can't guarantee it, so please bear with my weird schedule D: . If you also have any suggestions for me, review/PM me and let me know! ^^ I'd like to hear your opinions on this fanfic!

P.S. I passed my road test! Yay! :)


	3. Chapter 3

C: Ty for the additional reviews, favorites, and alerts! Your actions mean a lot, guys~. -heart- Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**Dream36**: LOL. REEEBORN, I will reply back with my dying will! x3. Thanks! Writing Ryohei is hard, but I'm glad you liked it! And, pfft, YOU'RE awesome! c:**  
>chocoluvr15<strong>: Thanks for being hooked on this fanfic! Even though it's so bad. ;w; -heart-  
><strong>Taira-keimei<strong>: Thanks for liking chapter 2! O: . If they became friends with Tsuna, that would be too boring! XD. I just wanted to make a fic with a depressing side for each character. Ahaha, I hope you don't mind. :P Though, I would like it for them to be friends with Tsuna. Don't worry, everyone will be happy soon enough! :D  
><strong>permasmile<strong>: As usual, thanks so muchooooo! -heart- Thanks for correcting my mistakes! You rock~! C:  
><strong>Chrome Nagi Dokuro<strong>: Bossu will be fine, hopefully! D: . I felt bad for him when I was writing the chapter that I was thinking of changing it to be a little happier...but I decided not to! xD.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!  
><strong>Pairing Hints<strong> 3327, 9527.

* * *

><p><em>Part II – The Sun that Blinds and Shines<br>_

* * *

><p>The sun is a star that shines brightly every day, twenty-four seven. No matter what kind of weather there is on Earth, the sun does not give up in shining its illuminating glow. It still finds a way to shine through the rainy clouds, giving light in the day even if it is soft. That is how strong the sun is, no matter the circumstances or situations.<p>

However, that's not how Ryohei felt.

He felt blown up. His intensity was burnt out. The sun had lost its warm light and even the brightest days were lost. All that shown was absolutely nothing and total darkness. There was no energy or any sort of power source in him anymore, ever since he found out about the tragic event that involved his dearest person, Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Yes, his. Ryohei was aware of what he thought. Sawada was so damned close to him, and yet the senior couldn't do anything to save his dear boss.

The boxer clenched his fists tightly. He's been doing this frequently, he realized. Ryohei wasn't the type of person to be easily angered or hold a grudge, even to his enemy. But, this was a change – he was furious at Byakuran. That damned white-haired bastard had hit a nerve by doing something so unforgivable. Ryohei had no heart to forgive such a man.

And he felt helpless. There was no way he could reach one of his bandaged hands to the young boy's heart nor wish for the days when everything was all based on teamwork, friendship, laughter, and just living life to the extreme. God, he felt so broken just thinking about those fond memories. And in just one day of their lifetimes, just one day out of all the days they were going to live, it turned out to be a day too short. If it weren't for that accident, everything could have been reverted to normal.

But, no, things were not supposed to be like that.

What kind of Sun Guardian was he if what he was feeling now was far from his usual self? He didn't feel like shining brightly and giving warmth to the sky, all because that sky was no longer there. There was no point in the sun shining if there was nothing to shine for.

Ryohei felt like the setting sun that would never return to shine for Namimori.

**. 3327 .**

Kyoko was so damned worried for her brother. He never acted so out of it and so full of thought. She didn't mean that her brother was regularly stupid. It was just this was so out of character for him. Ryohei was one who kept a positive attitude despite the downfalls of any situation, but this was too much for him, she figured. After all, Tsuna's memory loss was hard for everyone, even Hibari Kyouya.

This was why she figured she would bring her brother out shopping just to keep his mind off of Tsuna if only for a while, but that wasn't going so well. She wasn't sure of what to say to break the heavy silence. Though they were very close siblings who understood each other and forgave each other, this tension was something she could not break. It hurt to intensely to see Ryohei so empty _with_ Tsuna.

She, too, felt vacuous without talking or conversing with Tsuna.

The memories flooded in the girl's mind. Everyone had so much fun with one another the past year. Though dangerous at some points, everything ended up being for the best in the end and even though everything did settle, Tsuna wasn't able to enjoy the outcome of the final battle. A knife jabbed her heart as she thought of Tsuna's accomplishment for nothing. Not literally nothing, but Tsuna had no recollection of anything. This was all pointless for him, then.

It seriously wasn't fair. Why was Tsuna left to deal with a horrible aftermath? All she did was support him—she didn't actually do anything for Tsuna, like the others did. She was just...there. Kyoko could understand her brother, a bit. Her realization brought her to a realm of helplessness. Ryohei must have felt this way when all he could do was watch the Sky battle unfold before his eyes. _All_ the Guardians must have felt that way.

The girl started to intertwine her fingers with her brother's. Ryohei looked at his sister with confusion before softly smiling and gripping onto his sibling's hand tighter. Right now, they understood that they couldn't do much, but somehow everything would work out. That was the kind of message Kyoko was trying to send to her boxing brother, and somehow the feeling started to become mutual.

A scratching shout was what brought them away from their thoughts. That voice—they knew who that voice belonged to! Kyoko turned to her brother in alarm and he nodded to her back in response.

"Tsuna-kun," the orange-haired girl said. "That was him. We have to find him!"

Worry washed on the boxer's face as he nodded once more. What could cause Tsuna to shout like that in such a hoarse voice? Just from that shout, he could tell Tsuna was stumbling and struggling with something. Was it, by chance, a recollection? He was hoping strongly that it was. Still, that startled him greatly. Was Tsuna really okay?

The shout turned into ongoing sobs of a syllable "Re." Ryohei made a dash for it, knowing that he was getting closer to wherever Tsuna was with Kyoko right behind him. He prayed inwardly as he ran for Tsuna to be okay. The brunet was worrying him so much; this just motivated the boxer to get there faster.

The sight before him stabbed his heart. There was Tsuna, on the floor covering his face with his hands as he was sobbing harshly. No one was by him, either scared or freaked out by the brunet. If beating people up wasn't a troubling cause, Ryohei would have knocked some sense, literally, into all those observers. However, that should be the least of his concerns.

"Tsuna-kun!" Kyoko shouted in concern as she rushed to the trembling boy's side. "Tsuna-kun! Please calm down. Everything is going to be okay. Please don't cry, Tsuna-kun! Everything is okay..." The girl pulled up the boy and hugged him tightly. "Tsuna-kun... Don't cry. I'm here, okay?"

"Re... Re... Re..." That was all Tsuna replied as he was coaxed by the one hugging him. "I saw... Re... Re... He was there... Re..."

"Don't cry, Tsuna-kun... Don't cry, anymore..."

"Re..."

Soon enough, the brunet had fainted in the girl's arms. Kyoko gave him a look that expressed relief, concern, and anxiety. She turned to Ryohei, who was standing behind her, with a soft gaze. No words had to be exchanged as Ryohei understood what his sister wanted.

He bent down to grab the younger boy's body as he fixed the body so that Tsuna was motioned in his arms. The boxer carried him bridal style, keeping the body closer than a usual hold. He wanted Tsuna close to him at the moment. There was the sky in his arms, and the sun was going to rise to protect it.

**. 9527 3327 .**

Scared. That's what he felt.

There was complete darkness surrounding him. Unlike before, Tsuna didn't find himself in a field full of sparkling gems or light. Right now, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing except total blackness. Not even a speck of light was seen anywhere. It was so dark that Tsuna couldn't even see his hands that he was waving in front of his face. Nothing. And he felt scared shitless.

Was this his own mind? That's the second thought that ran through his head, the first thought being that he was not on the planet Earth. For some reason, the boy could relate himself to his surroundings, which was once again nothing. Though the boy could feel like any ordinary person, for some reason the boy could not feel anything. Not literally. He felt so darn empty, and this dark place was reflecting him.

Ever since yesterday or maybe a few days before that when he was apparently in a coma, the thought of him forgetting something important was nagging the back of his mind. There was something that he had forgotten... Something so precious and deep... What exactly happened in the so-called "accident"? His mother wouldn't even answer him. There was someone with answers...

Perhaps, Yamamoto had answers. The baseball star was strangely suspicious with his actions previously and he was definitely hiding something. Was it something related to himself? Was Yamamoto really hiding the answers the brunet was searching for? ...But, the jock looked so sullen, broken, and so heartbroken. Those were emotions so different from the Yamamoto everyone loved. Was whatever answer he was hiding causing the said athlete _this_ much pain?

Were they both connected in some way...?

Remembering that forgotten thing... Tsuna wasn't sure whether he wanted to remember something that was causing him so much confusion, emptiness, and pain. Tsuna was trembling now. Horribly. This blackness around him wasn't easing him, either. This strange place...why did it make Tsuna feel so..._guilty_?

Light was what Tsuna wanted right now. He did not want to be a part of this anymore. He wanted to escape this...reality or fantasy? Bah, Tsuna wasn't sure of anything anymore. This blinding sensation... The brunet was scared to the bone. All these emotions were slaughtering him slowly...

God, how he felt alone right now. Of course there was no one to be expected with him in such a horrifying place, but still he hoped for at least one person to be with him. A bright person, perhaps. Funny how his thoughts went from one thing to another, and now he was focusing on the school's idol brother.

It was weird, to say so, that he had grown out of his crush on Sasagawa Kyoko. He did not even realize that his crush (wasn't it love?) for her just disappeared yesterday when he saw her again after a period of time. It just happened to be that way. Gosh, was what he had forgotten related to his disappeared feelings for Kyoko-chan? And, since when did he start calling her that?

...And there was Sasagawa Ryohei. Tsuna knew that somewhere in him, he knew the older student. Was it by chance or coincidence? For starters, he hadn't even known the existence of a boxing team of Namimori Middle. So, how had he known the fact like it was a everyday detail of his life? Plus, he never knew that Ryohei was Kyoko-chan's brother, but yet it was the same. He just knew that.

Life had its surprises, but to Tsuna it seemed like he knew them and that he should expect surprises in his life frequently. This thought and new feeling just changed him—for the better? He wasn't sure of what the benefit was in thinking of dealing with new found surprises, but it seemed to be absorbed as a new lifestyle.

Ryohei...was someone he never would expect to befriend. Along with Yamamoto-kun, Gokudera-san, Sasagawa Kyoko, and a pretty girl that went to another middle school—Miura Haru. Hell, he thought he wouldn't even indulge himself in a long (a few minutes is considered long) conversation with Hibari-san! But, all in one day, he had met all those people and the said persons just seemed to give him a tingling sensation. It wasn't bad; it felt warm.

But, to clarify, their relationships were nothing more than acquaintances or just regular schoolmates. And yet, Tsuna felt some bizarre attachment to the said persons. It confused and bemused him greatly. But, Tsuna didn't want to run away from this...at least, not for now. He felt...heartwarming talking to everyone even if they were short and perplexing conversations.

Tsuna hadn't realized that he had closed his eyes, until he opened them revealing a small speck of...sunlight. Not even noticing his own smile, Tsuna rushed towards the direction of warmth. Somewhere there, he was sure to meet up with...the sun _himself_.

The brunet opened his eyes. He had been sleeping the whole time and his collection of thoughts were all a part of a dream. Once he reached the light, he had woken up. Hm, strange dream, he thought as he slowly got up from the blue colored bed as he gripped a golden colored blanket. Wait, what? ...This was _not_ his bed. Wasn't he...

_Oh_, Tsuna realized. _I was getting groceries and...broke down. Why the hell did I break down? Er, I remember having this sharp feeling of...nostalgia? Something like that? I felt a familiar and strong presence all of a sudden as I was making my way to the supermarket...and my heart felt it was going to shatter... Ugh, waking up from that coma just made me crazy._

A hand touching his own interrupted the boy's thoughts. Tsuna blinked and turned to the person who touched him gently. It was Kyoko-chan, smiling like her usual self. However, there was a look of concern and relief. Probably from his waking up? Wait, if he was here, then that means...he was at Kyoko-chan's house? What the hell was going on? He didn't recall being _this_ friendly with the school stars!

...Well, this room was definitely too boyish for Kyoko-chan's taste.

"You're in onii-chan's room," Kyoko explained still with the bright smile on her face. "We found you in the shopping district and...you were crying horribly. Is everything okay, Tsuna-kun? Did something happen before that caused you to...well, break down?"

"I... Uh." Tsuna was stuttering. How was he supposed to explain such a weird experience for him, too? He wasn't exactly sure of why he had broken down in the middle of a crowd during broad daylight, but... It was a feeling that made him break down. How the hell was he going to answer her question when he didn't know how to explain it himself?

Knowing that Tsuna was confused himself or just didn't want to speak of the previous happening, Kyoko softly giggled and shook her head, giving the message that Tsuna did not have to explain. The boy just flushed a bit from embarrassment and looked down. He really was confused with how the situation came to be. Here he was, in the house of the Sasagawa family, and probably many people would die to come here, and yet it all felt so natural to him.

"Onii-chan stepped out of the house not long ago," the girl said. She turned to the window, smiling a bit to herself. "He said that he wanted to go for his daily jog that he missed this morning... You know, Tsuna-kun, he's been really worried about you." Kyoko turned back to him with the smile still on her face, but possibly a bit sadder. "We were both worried."

Sanguine colored his cheeks from her words. "Ah, uhm... Thank you, Kyoko-chan. I'm sorry for causing all this trouble for you even if it's only been two days we've been acquainted and... Oh god, I'm starting to ramble. I'm so sorry, still... I, uh..."

"It's okay, Tsuna-kun!" Kyoko had stopped him from rambling on nonsense by clasping her other hand to his. "It's okay, really. Onii-chan and I don't mind your company, and you're definitely not troubling us. We just...feel indebted to you."

Tsuna tilted his head as his adorable caramel brown eyes widened a bit in confusion. "Indebted? What do you mean, Kyoko-chan?"

Kyoko blinked, registering what she had said. She then shook her head furiously and waved both her hands in front of her as she moved it away from the boy's touch. "Ah, don't worry about what I said! I was just saying something random... I was just thinking about something from the past and uh, it just spurted out. Sorry about that, Tsuna-kun..."

After saying the apology, Kyoko found herself swimming once more in her thoughts. It hurt her greatly when Tsuna said that they have only been acquainted for two days. It's been much more than that, but Tsuna had forgotten _every single damn memory_. Was Tsuna...ever going to remember the fond times everyone shared? Being in the present, being in the future, fighting all those battles... Kyoko wanted to know and she wished desperately for the happiness to return.

And just like she said, the girl felt entirely indebted. Tsuna sacrificed his own life to protect his loved ones and to save the world from Byakuran's injustice. Even though Tsuna had told her that he had no concern or thought of being a mafia boss, she knew that he would take the title for the sake of his friends. By Tsuna's boldness (albeit still possessing a shy state), Kyoko was indeed indebted to the boy. Not just her, everyone was.

The strings of friendship and bonds that attached to every single of them was no longer there, if the main link was gone. Tsuna was their main link. Everything would be lost and broken if Tsuna himself wasn't there. It was because of the boy that everyone's lives were changed...

Hot tears were rolling down her face. It just happened as she began to think of those past memories. Tsuna-kun forgetting everything and being oblivious to what was happening to every one of them, it pained her to such a high extent. She had to be strong, she knew, but how could she when all she could see was a confused Sawada Tsunayoshi in front of her?

"Kyoko-chan! Ah, eh, wh-what's the matter? Are you okay? D-don't cry, Kyoko-chan!"

The more he spoke, the more he was concerned, the more he was worried... Those things about him drove her more into a state of depression. The tears wouldn't stop and there wasn't a hint of them stopping anytime soon. She sat on the bedside with her hands covering her face.

Tsuna sat on the bed, trying to console the girl in any way he could think of. But, why was she suddenly crying? Was it perhaps because of him? The boy shook his head. He hadn't done anything to hurt her! ...And yet, he felt guilty...just as how he felt in the dream before. He felt connected to those tears falling from her eyes and to the upsetting sentiment of the girl's. His thoughts were wavering to one possibility to another and it hurt his mind.

That was when the door of the room flung open, revealing an out of breath Sasagawa Ryohei. The boxer stared long at Tsuna, whose heart almost stopped from the sudden appearance, and then to his crying sister. His body fell in defeat as he knew the reason for his sister crying. It was...because of Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Anger started to boil in him at that moment. All he could think of was his dear sister crying her eyes _and_ heart out. He turned to the poor boy in rage and walked towards him. The bandaged hand almost made impact with the honey brown eyes, but he stopped midair. Tsuna could only look in shock at what was about to happen. Ryohei... His senpai was about to punch him square in the face...

"Don't you dare make Kyoko cry again, Sawada," the athlete said, turning around so his back was facing Tsuna's. The voice was incredibly low that it sent shivers to the younger boy's back. And, of course, Tsuna was downright scared.

"I...didn't mean to. Kyoko-chan just...st-started crying a-and... I don't know if it was I who c-caused it..." Unlike Ryohei's, Tsuna's voice was really squeaky and high. Anyone could tell the obvious hint of fear in his tone. What happened to the friendly manner they had shared during the walk in the rain? ...Tsuna was oh so confused and frightened by the change of character.

"Don't make Kyoko cry," Ryohei repeated in the same baritone and serious tone. "If you do, I won't make that punch stop and I won't make it miss, either."

Tsuna gulped. This new Ryohei was frightening. And yet, the girl was still sobbing uncontrollably. Tsuna understood that Ryohei was just being overprotective of his sister, so he did not really bother or want to explain the situation. Giving up, Tsuna felt himself slump and let out a soft sigh as he nodded. Kyoko blinded the brother's thoughts, and Tsuna understood...

He understood... That really hurt.

Ryohei shut his eyes tightly as he made his way out the door, and possibly out of the house once more. He didn't know how he was feeling and which side to choose. He didn't know what was going on with him and it hurt his head. He needed to cool off, somewhere...

That was, until he heard the three words softly spoken from the brunet's mouth. Tears had rolled down from his own eyes before he knew it.

"See you tomorrow..."

**. 9527 3327 .**

Why? Why was Tsuna so god damn forgiving?

Ryohei punched the tree in front of him with such force that the tingling pain didn't even affect him as great. He gripped his fingers tightly into a fist as he slowly took in deep breaths. He needed to calm down... That was what the daily jogs were for, right? At least, Tsuna was the new reason for his running nowadays. Tsuna made him think about all those fond memories, and Ryohei needed to clear Tsuna out of his mind before he hurt himself even more.

But, god, Tsuna... He had forgiven Ryohei without a second thought. The boxer knew that the younger boy feared him when he had gone into a serious mode. And yet, Tsuna still _understood_. ...Sawada was always someone to forgive easily, enemy or foe. It didn't matter—that was the brunet's nature, and quite loving it was. And yet, so heartbreaking.

Kyoko had always been his number one. His own sister was his number one concern, above all else. He remembered clearly the first time he had punched Tsuna, which was back in the future all because he had told Kyoko of the mafia business. He didn't want to drag Kyoko in any danger, so he was always the overprotective brother he was.

And yet, Tsuna understood that above all else. He put their sibling relationship first before his own fear. Tsuna was the most selfless person Ryohei had ever known.

Yes, Ryohei was blinded. He was heavily blinded by his sister's crying that he hadn't even known whether it was Tsuna's fault to begin with. Well, of course not. Sawada wasn't the type of person to make girls cry as a resolve. ...But, it was still him that caused Kyoko to cry. Tsuna forgetting everything was what made Ryohei cry inside, as well. That's why...he tried so hard to rid of that sadness. It was slaughtering.

Another punch was delivered to the tree.

"Damnit, Sawada! Why did you have to forget everyone? Why did you have to forget the memories? Why did you have to forget...me?"

Ryohei was an extreme person. Everything he did was always to the extreme, or just over the limit in a more normal way of putting it. He was never really a person to consider relationships or any of that sort. He wasn't a sappy person to begin with.

And yet, Tsuna was making him feel this way.

Was it because of their everlasting friendship? (It wasn't like that now, sadly.) Ryohei wasn't sure, but Tsuna forgetting _him_ just made his whole world explode. The feelings that were circling him and exciting his heart was too much; too extreme. He cared for Tsuna, a lot. But, now that feeling was one-sided. Tsuna had always been the younger brother he never had. Losing that sibling was too...severe.

But, still... Tsuna still understood him as a brother and a friend, though the boy was in oblivion. Still, Tsuna knew the trouble Ryohei had felt when he first saw Kyoko crying. Still, Tsuna knew of the strong sibling relationship the two shared. Still, Tsuna understood the overprotective side of Ryohei's. Still, ...Tsuna understood love, forgiveness, and understanding.

The boxer had lost control of his emotions. Just seeing Kyoko crying sent him to anger at that split second. He didn't even acknowledge Tsuna's fear or forgiveness. He just went on his own as Sasagawa Ryohei, brother of Sasagawa Kyoko. What kind of friend...or brother was he to Tsuna if he only had taken the brunet for granted? And what kind of person was he to neglect Tsuna's saddened face? The blame was on Tsuna, when it should have been on Ryohei.

"...I'm sorry, Sawada. I've been so reckless. I'm so extremely sorry... It's all my fault."

**. 3327 .**

Tsuna smiled slightly, seeing the retreating figure of the boxer. He knew that it was not Ryohei's fault for anything. Ryohei was just being a brotherly figure to his sister, and that just warmed his heart. For some reason, Tsuna had understood the strong sense of the sibling relationship.

Funny, though, how he was a single child and yet he felt bliss seeing Ryohei protecting Kyoko.

"I'm sorry, Tsuna-kun," Kyoko softly spoke through her hiccups. "I made onii-chan mad at you. He rarely gets mad, except when it concerns me..."

"No, no! It's okay, Kyoko-chan! I actually found it touching than threatening, so it's not your fault." Tsuna smiled cutely to the girl. "I got to see a brotherly side to him. It was nice seeing Sasagawa-senpai like that. You two are close, huh?"

Kyoko blushed, one because of his charming smile, and two because of the random compliment. "Ah, I guess so. Onii-chan always looks out for me. It's been like that since we were young. He's always been protective of me ever since I was surrounded by a bunch of bullies."

"Bullies? Did everything turn out okay?"

The orange-haired girl blushed at the concern once more. "Y-yeah. Onii-chan chased the bullies away, but it's the first time I saw him in a fight. It was so scary and I was afraid that onii-chan would be hurt badly. In the end he did get hurt with many bruises and scratches since it was an unfair match, five against one. I cried so much that day and told him not to get into any fights ever since that incident..."

Tsuna smiled as he listened to her story. So, that was how it was like in the past for Kyoko-chan and Sasagawa-senpai. Ever since at a young age, Sasagawa-senpai still held Kyoko-chan dearly.

"He doesn't fight anymore, right?"

She smiled as she wiped the remaining tears away. "No, unless it's for a good cause. Whenever he protects the ones he love, that's when he'll step into action. I learned that onii-chan still fought not long ago, but I forgive him. After all, he made good friends that way. I just won't forgive him if he was fighting with no resolve, hehe."

Tsuna laughed along with her giggle. He found the story cute and the bond that they shared warming. Kyoko-chan was really lucky to have a brother like that, he thought. A crazy thought appeared on his mind as he thought of how it would be to have Ryohei as his own brother.

"I'm sure onii-chan is very sorry for before, Tsuna-kun."

"I already forgave Sasagawa-senpai, so it's okay." Another flash of his signature smile. "It's getting late, so I should be going home. Thank you so much for your custody, Kyoko-chan. Be sure to thank Sasagawa-senpai for me, too, when he returns."

"Okay, I'll do that!"

Tsuna embraced the girl before stepping out of the house. Kyoko watched sadly as Tsuna walked off to his own destination. Really, Tsuna was too forgiving... That's what she loved about him.

She just hoped that Ryohei would shine soon enough once more like he had before. She hoped that Tsuna would be the reason why.

**. 9527 .**

As Tsuna was walking to his house, he noticed a lawn of white hair on a familiar boy's head. The said boy was swinging to himself on the swings with a depressed look, or just a look of Ryohei being deep in thought. Tsuna stood there until Ryohei noticed his presence, which was not long later.

It took a while for the boxer to register in his mind that Tsuna was at the entrance of the park with a smile on his face. Ryohei blinked, wondering why Tsuna was standing there _with a smile_. Didn't he just yell at the younger boy not long ago?

Ah, Tsuna was waving _still with the damn smile_. He looked so blissful seeing the older one paying attention to the wave.

Ryohei's heart was beating fast. Tsuna had forgiven him, surely.

And you know what? The boxer waved back, too.

**. 3327 .**

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><p>;_; It's so short! I'm so sorry!<p>

Poor Tsuna, and poor Ryohei. xD Er, things will turn out okay for them sooner, hopefully! You guys will just have to see next chapter. And, guys, thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and alerts! (: Those made my day~.

Eek, I'm starting summer academy, nuu! ;_; My updates will be slow... And the fact that I haven't really worked on this fanfic much since I was sick with a fever, had constant headaches, slept in bed for more than 15 hours for the days I was sick, etc. I need to start finishing up the future chapters, too. :( But, I'll try and finish things up quickly!

Please review, guys~. Kthnx! Love you all~! C: -heart-


	4. Chapter 4

Here's chapter 4, guys! I hope you guys like this. o3o Hehe. Also, TY **permasmile** for proofreading! -heart-**  
><strong>

**Kichou**: Thanks! :)  
><strong>Nichi Koneko<strong>: I'm glad you love this fanfic! :P. Aha, I don't like drama to begin with, but I like writing it! I hope you like this chapter! And thank you! And yeah, summer school sucks. D: My mom forced me to go, ugh. I'll try to update these quickly! xD.  
><strong>permasmile<strong>: And once again, TYY for proofreading! :D. I freaking love you so much! -heartheart- So, did you make good truffles? LOL. Rena wants to taste one. :P  
><strong>kihlia<strong>: Ehe, this is the wrap-up of Ryohei's part! x3. You have to find out how it ends~.  
><strong>Taira-keimei<strong>: Aha, Tsuna really is too forgiving. xD And you're welcome! I hope you like this update!  
><strong>chocoluvr15<strong>: Yup! REEBORNNN :D. Aha, sorry about Ryohei being too depressing x] . I hope you like this chapter~! ^^

**Disclaimer** I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

**Pairing Hints**: 1827, 9527, 3327.

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><p><em>II. The Sun that Blinds and Shines (2)<em>

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><p>Sunlight seeped its way through the cracks of the closed curtains. The boy scrunched up his nose and tightened his closed eyes in annoyance from the light hitting his face. He was usually not a morning person who got up by the sun's rays, but rather by an alarm clock. However, that didn't seem to be the case for this particular morning. He just got up without any complaints.<p>

He took a look at the alarm clock: 6:24 in the morning. Gah! What was wrong with him? He usually got up at 8 just to get to school on time! He could have an extra hour and thirty-six minutes of sleep right now...but his body wasn't up to it. Giving up and just going with his body, the brunet let out a loud yawn and made his way downstairs to the kitchen.

No one was awake. Well, his mother wasn't awake, yet. Why had he thought of the sentence: "No one was awake"? It was not like anyone else lived in his house to begin with. It was just his mother and him. So, why did he think like that? Thinking that he was tired, the boy shook his head and made his way to the fridge. He decided to make a bento for himself instead of having his mom doing it.

...Well, he did have time to make more than one bento. With the new thought in his mind, Tsuna smiled gleefully to himself and opened the refrigerator to find any ingredients.

Eggs, sausages, some meat, plus some milk. Yup, this would work.

"Well, time to get started!" he cried silently to himself as he pumped a fist in the air and began cooking. Really, watching his mother cook all this time really paid off.

**. 27 .**

_Maybe I made too much_, Tsuna thought as he carried a bag full of bentos. _Well, at least I got to make some food for a change. Mom's been making so much food for me that I never actually made something on my own for a while. Still, there's that stinking feeling that makes me feel like it's not just me that existed in that house. It feels...more lonely._

The brunet sighed, shaking his head to rid of the sad thoughts. Tsuna looked back to the bentos and smiled to himself. It had been a big task to get all the food done, but it was worth it. Originally, he had planned to make it just for himself and the Sasagawa siblings, but he had decided to make two more for Yamamoto and Gokudera-san. He would have made one more for Haru, but she did say that she went to another school. What were the chances of seeing her before lunch?

He put on a small pout. New people were revolving in his life all of a sudden. These past four days since he woke from his coma were a bit hectic and confusing. ...His coma. Tsuna really was curious on how he happened to be in that coma or how that "accident" happened. No one was saying anything to him.

Now, he not only suspected Yamamoto of knowing. He kind of suspected, well, everyone. The weird personalities of Kyoko-chan and Sasagawa-sempai were suspicious, too, along with Haru and Gokudera-san. Even Hibari-san, and Tsuna was sure he never actually made contact with Hibari to begin with! ...What was that weird thing about, anyway? That ring... Hibari-san was definitely hiding something.

But, Tsuna was so sure that no one would say anything if he asked. For now, he would not get answers, but hopefully sometime in the future.

...Speak of the devil. There was Hibari Kyouya. Walking. Right in front of him. Tsuna gulped to himself, not wanting to have a scary confrontation like he did with the prefect the day he came back to school. And what's worse, Hibari turned around to see a frightful Sawada Tsunayoshi and smirked to himself. Tsuna did _not_ like where this was going.

"Herbivore," the raven-haired boy said in a low tone that sent shivers to the said boy's back. "You're early to school for once, it seems. Looks like I don't have to bite you to death today." A delicious smell stopped him and he eyed the bag the brunet was holding. "What's that?"

Tsuna blinked, following the direction where Hibari-san's eyes were pointing. He put on a smile finding the destination. "Oh, this? I made some bentos for Sasagawa-sempai, Kyoko-chan, Yamamoto, and Gokudera-san. I made one for myself, but...I think I'll give it to you, instead, Hibari-san."

Hibari blinked, too, wondering why Sawada Tsunayoshi was being kind to him. Well, in general, the boy was a kindhearted soul but to give his lunch to the scariest person in school when they didn't exactly share a relation was kind of...awkward. The skylark didn't exactly want to accept something from another person since he did not like owing back, but he was curious about the brunet's cooking.

Noticing the hesitation in Hibari-san's eyes, the younger boy smiled warmer as he placed the bag on the floor and took out a single bento from the top of the stack. He placed the box down on the floor for a moment and took both of Hibari-san's hands and opened them up and finally placed the bento box on the taller boy's hands.

"I promise you there is nothing bad in there," the brunet said with a bright smile.

"Why are you giving me this, herbivore?"

The brunet looked at the ground as a bit of red scattered on his face. "B-because, I value you as someone important, Hibari-san. I don't know exactly why, but the feeling is there... I'm still confused about everything and I kind of know you have the answers I want to hear, but I also know that I won't get any by prying into your business and with everyone else's..." The voice was very soft and spoken shyly, but it was the truth. A sad truth to say.

"Hm, you're sharp."

Tsuna let out a soft laugh in response. He picked up the bag up and smiled once more to the prefect. "Well, I should get to class before I'm late and before you bite me to death, Hibari-san. Please enjoy the food!"

The smaller boy turned to leave after he said that. Hibari looked down to the bento he was holding and put on a stern face. He had actually accepted the gift. Was it selfish enough to want the bento instead of giving it back to the brunet? It's not like Hibari wanted the boy to starve and he was well aware of the skinny figure that Tsunayoshi had because of over training with the baby and not eating properly.

"Wait, herbivore."

The words came out unexpectedly. He saw Tsuna looking back with a curious expression and a tilted head. The prefect bit his lip. Why had he told Tsunayoshi to wait when he was not sure of why he had said that in the first place? Hibari finally let out a sigh and turned his full attention to Tsuna, making eye contact with the boy.

"You're welcome to the disciplinary office anytime."

Tsuna was a bit bewildered by the welcome. He didn't expect Hibari to actually let anyone in his office and he was aware that the chairperson only allowed his trusted adviser inside. The warm welcome that Hibari said had his heart fluttering a bit and scarlet coloring his cheeks. Nonetheless, Tsuna put on a heartfelt smile and nodded.

"Okay!"

Hibari Kyouya was never someone to open up to another person. He was always quiet and only found entertainment in fighting for the satisfaction of his strength and his skills. However, that was not quite true anymore. He could have left the Vongola Family anytime and it was not like he was forced into anything. He still had freedom like the cloud he took the role of.

But, no. Sawada Tsunayoshi was pulling him in more and more. The one thing pulling him most into the mafia was that tainted smile full of obliviousness and nothingness. The smile that burned his mind to a black pit.

**. 1827 .**

Tsuna woke up to the loud ringing of the lunch bell. Meaning, it was break time or lunch time! The boy looked down to his notebook and let out a sigh. Nothing written. Not a single word. Keep this up and he would be Dame-Tsuna all the way to the time of adulthood...if he managed to get there.

The boy stretched his arms high in the air and let out another sigh of content. There was nothing better than stretching after a nap during class. From the corner of his eyes, Tsuna noticed the silver-haired boy walking up the baseball star of the middle school. Oh, wait. It was lunch, now... The brunet widened his eyes in realization and scrambled to the bag next to him. He took out two bento boxes in haste.

Though he had planned to give the lunches to Gokudera-san and Yamamoto, he was hesitant. Very shy and hesitant. He valued Gokudera-san and Yamamoto the same way as he saw the Sasagawa siblings and Hibari-san. However, it was not like he felt this towards anyone else. That's why he was confused...and hesitant.

...Since when did he value everyone close to him? That was weird.

Tsuna shook his head and gave up with a sigh. He knew he had to give the lunches, whether he was up to it or not. Sticking to a determined smile, Tsuna stood up from his seat and walked up to the chatting baseball star and the growling smoker. His hands were trembling as he gripped onto the boxes tighter to have them not fall. He was a bit intimidated to go up to two of the most respected students on his own will. He could already feel the glares behind his back as he walked up to them.

Yamamoto was the one who noticed Tsuna approaching. He gave the brunet a small yet sad smile and a light wave. Gokudera then noticed that Yamamoto was no longer paying attention to him and turned around. He widened his eyes to see his once before boss coming up to them with a shy expression.

The silver-haired bomber inwardly panicked. How was he supposed to act in front of Tsuna, first of all? Gokudera was known by everyone in the school for his cold personality (and good looks). The only person he was nice to was, well, Tsuna himself. But right now, Tsuna had no clue of who he was. Should he act cold towards the brunet like he does with everyone else? But that wasn't fair for Tsuna...nor himself.

"S-sorry to intrude on your conversation, Yamamoto, Gokudera-s-san..." Tsuna's face flushed with embarrassment as he looked to the appealing appearance of the floor. "Um, I h-hope I wasn't interrupting a-anything import-tant..."

"You weren't," Yamamoto reassured with a light grin. "What's up, Tsuna?"

Red scattered across the youngest boy's face as he tightly closed his eyes and held out the two boxes. "Um, I-I had a lot of time this morning to make some b-bentos! I made two for you and Gokudera-san... I-I hope it's good enough for you guys. It's my way of saying th-thanks for the other day at school..."

Gokudera blinked, along with Yamamoto. The two boys didn't expect to receive such a welcoming and warmhearted gift from the brunet, especially when he had forgotten about them. Gokudera, being the emotional guy he is when around Tsuna, was on the brink of tears. He took one of the boxes silently and looked the other way.

"Th-thanks, I guess," Gokudera said with a light pink flush on his cheeks. "It's very, uh, nice. And you don't have to thank us for last Friday. It was nothing, really... Just don't get sick like that again."

"Thank you, Tsuna!" Yamamoto's sad smile had absolutely gone away and was now replaced with a bright grin. "That was really thoughtful! I'm sure it's going to taste good, too! How'd you know we both forgot our lunches today? Haha."

The brunet was happy to receive the thankful praise and gestures from the two older boys. His own smile warmed up as his eyes closed to reveal a smile within his closed eyes. Of course, Yamamoto and Gokudera both blushed at the cute expression from the brunet. It was sad that they weren't exactly going to meet that same face in a daily basis, though...

"Hana, I'm going to go to the cafeteria to buy some bread. I forgot to bring lunch today, hehe. Do you want to come with me?"

_That was Kyoko-chan's voice_, Tsuna thought. He broke his attention away from the two popular students and turned to the door where the orange-haired girl was about to head out. He panicked, wanting to quickly give the bento he made to Kyoko before she went to buy her own lunch. Tsuna turned to Yamamoto and Gokudera, surprising the two with his worry.

"Please enjoy the meals! I...I got to go see Kyoko-chan, now! I'm sorry for the haste! Please excuse me!"

Subconsciously, Gokudera lifted a hand to stop Tsuna from leaving, but the brunet had already turned around and was heading to give Kyoko her own bento box. He never realized he had opened his mouth to say "Wait" to Tsuna and closed it with a sigh. He turned to the athlete, who was now looking out the window and away from the brunet.

Gokudera turned to the window, as well, and sighed once more. This was a rare chance for Tsuna to approach them and yet, it was too short. He wanted to be able to talk to his Juudaime like before, but that would just rise up confusion, suspicion, and pain. Tsuna had always wanted to live a normal life and away from all the mafia business. He was getting that now, just without everyone else.

...Is that why Reborn wanted no one to confront Tsuna? Was Reborn _worried_ about the boy that he didn't want Tsuna to remember the painful memories of being in the mafia world? Was that the reason...? It was really out of character for the hitman, though.

"We shouldn't pry too much of our business into Tsuna's," Yamamoto suddenly said, lifting Gokudera out of his train of thoughts. "He's living the life he always wanted, right? Just telling him everything will ruin his wish. He'll live his normal middle school life with Kyoko and things will be normal for him...like he wanted."

It seemed Yamamoto was thinking the same. The silver-haired opened a crack in the window and took out a cigarette. Lighting it, he nodded. "Yeah. For Juudaime's sake, let's be the guardians we're supposed to be and just watch out for him. That way, he'll be protected and living happily...even if he doesn't remember us."

**. 5927 8027 .**

"Kyoko-chan! Wait up!"

The orange-haired turned around, seeing the brunet rushing up to her with a bento box in his hands. The girl smiled warmly when Tsuna came up to her and let out a giggle.

"What's the hurry, Tsuna-kun?"

"I, um, wanted to give you this!"

Tsuna held out the box in front of the girl. Kyoko blinked in confusion before taking the box to her hands. She pointed an index finger to herself with a free hand and tilted her head to the side. Tsuna giving her something, which was food? That was new.

"For me, Tsuna-kun?"

The said brunet nodded in big motions. Kyoko smiled brightly at him, taking a free hand and clasping it with one of Tsuna's hands. She intertwined their fingers as she looked down to the tangled hands with a sad smile. Tsuna blushed in embarrassment; not knowing what came over the girl so suddenly, but seemed curious as to why Kyoko was doing what she was doing.

The girl sighed sadly and looked up to him with almost empty eyes. "Thank you so much, Tsuna-kun. I'm sure it'll be very delicious." She had already noticed the last bento he was holding in the bag, it seemed, since the girl pointed to a building outside the window. "Onii-chan is over there, practicing his boxing. You should give the last bento to him, Tsuna-kun."

"Oh, thank you!" Tsuna let go of the hands and smiled warmly to her, clutching the bag tighter. "I'll talk to you another time, Kyoko-chan, okay? Please enjoy the food!"

Without another word or another second wasted, Tsuna left the girl and headed for the building which Kyoko pointed at. The orange-haired put on a small smile and watched him until he was outside in her view. She clutched the box tighter unconsciously as a single drop of water tainted a spot on the ebony box.

"Please save everyone," Kyoko mumbled to herself softly. "They need you, Tsuna-kun..."

The thing that surprised her right then was Tsuna; at that moment, the boy stopped running and turned to the window she was at and smiled at her. It was not just that. It was also the words he had spoken. She could not hear from where she stood, but she knew well what Tsuna had said.

"I will."

**. 9527 .**

The boy slowly opened the sliding door in hesitation. He was suddenly finding himself very nervous at confronting Sasagawa-senpai. Was it because of the unspoken anger that swelled up inside of the older student for making Kyoko-chan cry, which was not his fault at all, by the way. Nevertheless, the boy was suffering from a frantic beating of his heart.

Tsuna stopped, hearing the punches in the background. He hid himself behind a punching bag that was near him and looked at the boxing ring. There he was, Sasagawa-senpai, punching the daylights out of poor defenseless dummy placed in the ring. The brunet smiled, seeing how concentrated Ryohei looked with each punch.

Deciding not to bother him, Tsuna placed the bento in his hand on a nearby bench. He looked once more at the boxer and in his mind, he hoped that Ryohei would be successful in whatever he was aiming for. To Tsuna, the athlete looked like the sun burning with extremeness.

"Good luck, Sasagawa-senpai."

Once he closes the door, Ryohei looks up to the entrance and sees the door just the way it was before. Curious, the boxer stepped out of the ring and walked towards the door. A glint of light catches his attention and he looks towards the bench. On it, he sees a lone bento box.

He pointed to himself stupidly, asking the air if the box was for him. Not even bothering to get an answer (as if he was), Ryohei took the bento to his hands and opened the cover. He widened his eyes at the contents inside. Delicious food was seen and it all shone to him. He took the pair of chopsticks placed inside and with it, he took a piece of an eggroll and put it in his mouth.

"It's good..."

He smiled to himself and continued eating in silence.

**. 3327 .**

It was finally time for the school day's end. Tsuna raised his arms in relief and sighed in happiness. After all, who would be happy to stay in school any longer than usual? The boy packed his belongings and started heading out towards the school.

At the entrance, he could see...Miura Haru, was it? Yeah. She was already talking to Kyoko about the day and whatever girls talked about once school was over. Tsuna decided to keep his distance for some odd reason and started making his way home.

"Onii-chan is training very hard right now," Kyoko said to Haru. Tsuna perked his ears at the mention of the older brother. "There's a boxing competition this Saturday with a rival school. Onii-chan is training everyday during our lunch break. He wants to represent the school so let's support him this week!"

"Okay, Kyoko-chan!" Haru chirped in agreement. "How should we help him?"

The boy stopped listening on their conversation after that. So, it seemed Sasagawa-senpai was going to be at the boxing building everyday during lunch to practice. The brunet smiled to himself, knowing what he was going to do throughout the week. He would have to sleep extra early to wake up early the next day. He couldn't afford to be late like usual.

**. 27 .**

Determined to help in his own way, Tsuna successfully woke up early in the morning and prepared many different bentos. Each one was placed at the same bench in the boxing building and every time, Ryohei would spot that bento and eat it wholeheartedly. This routine had been going on for some time, that is until the last day of the week.

Right when the bell rang, the brunet had stood up in an eager fashion and was about to step out of his desk with a bento box in his hands, but the door of his classroom swung open. The action surprised many students since it had been opened aggressively and loudly. But, then again, it was no surprise since it was Ryohei who opened that door.

The brunet eyes widened seeing the boxer at the entrance of the room. Why was he here? Wasn't he supposed to be at the boxing building, training for the upcoming match? He softly squeaked when the white-haired teen turned right to him. Tsuna was panicking as Ryohei grinned wildly.

"SAWADA, GO ON A DATE WITH ME!"

The brunet blushed brightly at the words. _D-d-date? Ehh!_

"What the hell are you doing, turf head?" Gokudera shouted in obvious anger and protectiveness.

Ryohei only shot him a look. Tsuna noticed the seriousness, happiness, and sorrow. Gokudera flinched back, not expecting such a solemn look like that coming from the boxer. The athlete looked back to Tsuna with a (fake) grin and took one of his hands. (The bento landed safely on the desk, if anyone was wondering about the fate of the poor box.)

"EXTREME DITCHING!" Ryohei shouted as he rushed out of the classroom, and out of the school with his extreme speed.

The poor brunet was flying in the air with only the hand holding as safety. All across the school and the town of Namimori, everyone could hear the fearful "Hiieeee!" in the distance.

**. 3327 .**

Ryohei dragged the younger boy all the way to the shrine. Tsuna looked around in wonder. Though he knew of the shrine, since he lived in Namimori all his life, it just felt different now. Maybe it was because the boxer was with him? He wondered, _why did Sasagawa-senpai even bring me here? Out of all the places in the town, why the shrine?_ The last time he checked the calendar, it was far from New Years.

"Sawada." The voice sounded sad and low. Tsuna couldn't help but think of it even being possible for the older boy to talk with this kind of tone. "You're probably wondering why I brought you here, right?"

The brunet nodded quietly in reply. He looked to the athlete, who had a small smile tugging the ends of his lips. Tsuna smiled himself, knowing that Sasagawa-senpai seemed to be feeling a bit better now. A calm silence filled the air for a few minutes, but the two didn't seem to mind the small tension. It was actually kind of comforting. The only sounds heard were soft howls of the wind.

"This place brings a lot of memories for me," Ryohei started to say, grabbing Tsuna's attention. "It's been a while since I last came here. I usually end my jogs here, but I didn't have the guts to come here again for some time. But, I finally decided to come with you, Sawada." He turned to the younger boy and put on a real grin. "It'd be nice if you knew what I was talking about."

After those spoken words, Tsuna knew that the older boy in front of him had answers, too. It didn't seem like he was going to get any, though. Everyone was hiding something, and he had yet to know what. But, why was it that his life seemed to circle around them this closely? Why was everyone trying so hard to make him happy or even feel special? How did he even manage to deserve such happiness from them? ...What did he do that made them feel so hurt, pained, and dead?

_Senpai's glow_, Tsuna started to think. _Where did it go?_

"I'm very protective over Kyoko. She's the best sister anyone can ask for. You see, our parents are never home because of frequent business trips they go on. There is no one to look after her, so I took the step into taking good care for Kyoko. I never wanted her to be lonely or even see tears in her eyes. I began boxing to protect her whenever she needs me. Besides, IT'S EXTREME!"

The brunet sweat-dropped at the last sentence. Here Ryohei was, telling Tsuna about his role as a brother, but never could the boxer get too serious when talking about something. Still, the young boy couldn't help but smile at the words. Sasagawa-senpai really cherished Kyoko-chan. It was touching and he felt special knowing about the older teen's thoughts.

"I guess I've been too engrossed as an older brother that I blamed you that time for making Kyoko cry. Even though you're not the type of person to do that, I still blamed you. I was blinded and didn't think straight that time. I'm sorry, Sawada..."

"It's okay!" Tsuna waved his hands in a frantic manner. "You were just being caring to Kyoko-chan! I understand. It's just...I kind of was hurt when you couldn't trust me..."

Another silence. The young teen shut his eyes tightly. He couldn't believe he said those words, right to his senpai! Still, it was true. He wanted the white-haired to understand what was going on. Not having the trust from him or even happiness, Tsuna felt his world crumble a little bit. He was sure it was not just Ryohei that would make him feel this way. Kyoko-chan, Haru, Yamamoto, Gokudera-san, even Hibari-san!

"I'm not going to be like that anymore," Ryohei reassured. "You're too important to me. I should have been looking after you more like a big brother I am. I may not be your real big brother, BUT YOU STILL ARE MY EXTREME LITTLE BROTHER, HAHA! Besides that, let me just tell you that we're all connected in some way because of you, like an extreme rope!"

_Is he trying to be serious or extreme?_ Tsuna wasn't sure, but he was glad enough to know that Sasagawa-senpai saw him as a little brother. It kind of gave him an idea of how siblings and close bonds felt like. Kyoko-chan was fortunate to have such an amazing brother.

"By the way, I know you were the one who left the bentos at the bench!"

"Eh? H-how did you figure that out?"

"It's my EXTREME BOXER'S INTUITION!" Ryohei let out a big laugh, leaving Tsuna flushed with embarrassment. "Haha, it's cute and very thoughtful of you. Thank you to the extreme, Sawada! But, you know, it kind of seems like those situations where a middle school girl is leaving lunch for her crush everyday in secret! That's why I said those words to you in the first place, haha! Kyoko's manga really left some impression on me!"

By now, Tsuna's face was permanently colored in scarlet. Was he really that _girly_? Geez, Ryohei didn't have to sound so embarrassing! But, now that the boy thought about it, he did seem like the girl giving daily presents to her crush. How...scarily fitting!

Of course, the brunet had been watching the training of his senpai for a few minutes. The first day was an awe striker to him. Ryohei was punching like no tomorrow and he seemed like he was enjoying the task. However, as the next three days dragged on, the punches were losing strength. Ryohei no longer seemed to be having fun with boxing and Tsuna wondered why. It could be that the boxer was drained after each practice session, but the reason seemed to be much more bigger than that.

_I wonder if Sasagawa-senpai will be okay for tomorrow's match_, the cute boy wondered to himself. _I hope he doesn't stress himself too much. I would tell him to practice more, but senpai seems to be enjoying himself right now. Still, I hope he is better by tomorrow. I hope what I'm doing for him right now is also lifting up his spirits... Please do well for tomorrow, senpai._

Ryohei could sense the boy's worry. Ryohei knew why he himself was getting weaker everyday. He was blinded, and this happened too easily. He had been so occupied thinking about Tsuna and worrying about the said boy. He wanted Tsuna to remember their fun and extreme moments. Every time, Ryohei yearned for those memories. All the fun times that they had together meant so much to him, it was hard for him to forget and let it go.

Time was passing, and still they won't be getting their past relationship back anytime soon. Were those memories with the Vongola Famiglia all for nothing? Tick sounds were overpowering his ears and all he could think of was those forgotten memories and the unrecalled fondness.

Ryohei had been so buried and blinded by his thoughts that he had lost all motive and reason.

"_Please save everyone. Please save my brother, Tsuna-kun..."_

"_I will."_

The sky looked awfully bright with the shining sun illuminating a wonderful glow of light. The sky had never looked so blue and sad, without the help of the energetic sun.

**. 3327 .**

"Hahi! Is Sasagawa-san going to be okay, desu?"

"Onii-chan will do great! I'm sure he will..."

"Che, stupid lawn-head. He's already unfocused on the match and getting hit by a lot of punches. This has got to be the worst match of his, yet."

"Maa, maa, I'm sure senpai will pick it up a notch!"

Still, the four couldn't help but worry for the boxer. It was obvious that Ryohei was performing horribly, really, anyone can tell. His punches were missing frequently and there seemed to be no strength in any of his attacks. He was already panting heavily, and it was only ten minutes since the match started. The students that had rooted for Ryohei gave up once they saw how weak the white-haired seemed.

The opponent sneered at him and put on a confident smirk. With Ryohei like this, the match was totally one-sided. Only a few blows were delivered to him, while Ryohei got hit thrice more. The match was going to be soon over at this rate.

"What's wrong, Sasagawa?" the other jeered. "Is this all you got on you? I guess the rumor was wrong when everyone said how powerful you are. This match just proves it."

"Shut up!" Ryohei shouted fiercely. "I'm not done yet! I could still turn the tables!"

"With how you are right now? Tch, you're not even worth it."

Another punch hit Ryohei smack in the face. Kyoko squeaked in surprise and turned away from the scene. There was no way her brother could win like this, not in his current state. Was there anything to do to help him? She couldn't think of any encouraging words. How could she when all his hope had drained away from the very beginning?

_Tsuna-kun_, she thought desperately, _please hurry..._

It was then that the doors swung open with a great force. The loud noise turned all the people's attention to the entrance. Ryohei widened his eyes in surprise at the newcomer. Even Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Haru had their mouths wide open in shock. The orange-haired girl smiled brightly at the person's entrance.

Tsuna was panting heavily and stared hard at the boxer. Ryohei could only look with silence at the brunet. It was as if time had come to an end; the only ones alive in the world were the athlete and the boy the boxer held so closely in his heart.

"Onii-san! You have to win! Everyone in Namimori Middle is rooting for you! Don't give up and shine like how you always did!"

Always did... Always did... _Always did_. Did the white-haired teen hear that correctly? Did Sawada actually say those words? Right now, only happiness started to fill his once empty heart. The boy had actually come and was cheering for him. Ryohei couldn't ask for more.

Aoba raised an eyebrow to the brunet. Was it even possible for this one person to help the pitiful opponent right in front of him? Gosh, Sasagawa already looked destroyed! Any more hits and he was sure the hospital would be the next destination for the other. There was no way those twenty-three measly words that can do anything to turn the situation around.

By the next second, the green haired boy wanted to take it back. There he was, lying on the ring floor with a huge bruise on his left cheek. He grasped the swollen skin with one of his gloves and stared at Ryohei in stupor. What the hell just happened...? That was the biggest blow he had taken from anyone! Did Ryohei actually have _this_ much strength on him from the start?

"My middle school girl came for me." The lawn head boxer grinned. "This time, I'll be in the lead! BE CAREFUL TO THE EXTREME, AOBA KOYO!"

In just a matter of seconds, the ultimate winner was decided. Cheers filled the building and all Tsuna could do was smile in satisfaction and joy.

"The winner of this match is Sasagawa Ryohei of Namimori Middle!"

**. 3327 .**

"You came, Tsuna-kun!" Kyoko said happily. "Onii-chan was so surprised when you showed up! We all didn't expect you to be here!"

Tsuna scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I didn't expect to make it in time. I kind of overslept today since it was a Saturday and everything... I had planned to come here extra early to support Sasagawa-senpai, but I've been waking up so early during the week that my body wanted to catch up on sleep, heh."

The girl shook her head. "It doesn't matter, as long as you came!"

The brunet smiled back to her. He was really glad to make it in time. He had to wonder, though. It seemed that senpai was on the verge of losing until the moment he came. His eyes widened in a possible assumption. Did the boxer make a frightening comeback because of him? The situation sounded like those cliché scenes in a shoujo manga or something!

_Hiieee..._ Tsuna shuddered. _I really did turn into a middle school girl!_

Kyoko giggled at the boy in front of her. She leaned forward to his face, causing Tsuna to widen his eyes at the sudden action. A chaste kiss was placed on his lips the next moment and as of now, the boy couldn't think straight. Did...the middle school idol just _kiss_ him? What the hell! How was it that he, the no good person, managed to get a kiss from the most popular girl?

"My brother is going to come out soon," she said suddenly, breaking him out of the unbelievable thoughts. "You should go wait for him. I'm sure he wants to talk to you about the previous event. I'm going to go ahead and catch up with Haru-chan, Yamamoto-san, and Gokudera-san. Have fun, Tsuna-kun!"

The girl left him, leaving the poor boy with his mouth agape and with confused swirls in his eyes. In just the past days he returned to school, so many things happened that he still couldn't believe happened and this kiss was one of them! Was this his first kiss, anyway? Gah, what was the world coming to? Scratch that, _his world_!

He broke out of his thoughts once he saw the older student coming out of the locker room. The bruises he got before in the match were still there, but most of them were washed and cleaned. The brunet couldn't help but smile to the boxer and lightly waved. Not wanting him to go all the way to the entrance, Tsuna rushed to the older boy.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I couldn't make it in time! I-I was tired from waking up early and my body just took control of itself and slept almost the whole morning through! I was planning to come early to support you, but I overslept and I had to make such a distracting entrance and I didn't even pack you a bento this time! I was hoping to make a good lun—"

Tsuna stopped talking once he noticed Ryohei just standing there in silence with an expression saying that he was deep in thought. "Um...Sasagawa-senpai...?"

The young boy's eyes widened once he felt two strong arms hugging him tightly around his slender body. His throat hitched in bewilderment at the unnatural action of the athlete. It's not that Tsuna hated what was going on, but...it just seemed weird. He wasn't aware of the most extreme person to be sentimental, too.

"I was happy when you called me 'onii-san' when I was up there. I have always viewed you and still see you as my little brother, Sawada. Whenever I see you or think of you, I can't help but get a feeling to protect you. It's my role...as your Guardian and big brother. You're the sky that helps me to shine brightly all the time, no matter the situation or circumstance... Thank you, Sawada, TO THE EXTREME!"

Tsuna inwardly sighed at the last part, but nonetheless, he was happy. He returned the hug with a fervent blush, mumbling a thank you to the boxer.

It was also at that moment the boy noticed a small speck of yellow light floating over his onii-san. Right then he knew for certain that no matter what, from now on, his important onii-san would shine brightly just like the unfailing sun which is always there to light many hearts.

_I won't be blinded anymore. Because, Sawada, you are there to save me from my own darkness._

_I wouldn't trade onii-san for any other person in the world. After all, he is the glowing sun that shines my sky._

However, at the time at their release, the brunet widened his eyes. There was a chain necklace hanging on the boxer's neck. And on that necklace was a yellow ring very much similar to the one Hibari-san had shown him that one time...

**. 3327 .**

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><p>;_; I kind of procrastinated on this LOL. I'll try to get the next chapter quickly!<p>

Summer academy right now is so boringgg. I would plan and stuff, but I don't want people looking at me weirdly, wondering what the hell I'm doing xD. So, hehe. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and is hoping to see more, soon! :)

Review? -heart-


	5. Chapter 5

:D So, now I introduce Lambo! The little cute cow-clad boy who everyone loves (or is annoyed at)~!

**MangaFreak3**: Aha, thank you! Yes, beware the middle school girl disease! xD. Poor Tsuna~.  
><strong>Bleu Avangeline<strong>: Wahh, thank you. ;_;  
><strong>Taira-keimei<strong>: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you understood the reason and all the emotions I failed on LOL. And I had to add Aoba! Haha, I love that guy. :) I'm glad you liked the chapter!  
><strong>Invader Makiavella<strong>: Uwa, your review made my day so much! Thank you for all those good things that you mentioned, even though I wasn't satisfied with it. ^^ And thanks for the cookies! Yumm. Oh, and about the amnesia thing, I did think about it. I'm not really sure. I think it's best not to see it as amnesia. I don't know, it's complicating. xD I hope you can just bear with it, hehe. And thank you! I wasn't sure if I got the characterization right, so... Yeah, haha. I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
><strong>Kichou<strong>: Aha, I guess it can be seen as that. xD Poor Tsuna, being labeled as the girl! Hehe.  
><strong>FluffySquishie.25<strong>: You'll have to stay tuned for the final pairing! :P. He'll remember them soon, so don't worry! Hopefully soon. xD And yup, you're right about that! Mukuro will also appear later on, sooo, hehe. DON'T DIE AND BREATHE, ahaha! O: . CPRRR.  
><strong>permasmile<strong>: YOU ARE THE BESTTTT. And I want to win this round, too, so don't go against it! ;;. -heart- I know! Symbolism is really easy to put in the story; and it fits KHR! really well! Thank you for the compliments, loveee. c: LOL AOBA. I agree; the Shimon family really needs more love! Oh, now that you mention it, maybe I should include that. ;D I'll always ask you for helppp, if you don't mind! RENA REALLY WANTS TO VISIT YOU! I LOVE YOUUUUUUU. -heartspamspam- C: DAME-TSUNA SHALL LOVE YOO FOREVER.  
><strong>Dream36<strong>: 8D Tsuna is a cook, whoo! LOL. I was like, "Should I include that just for the lulz?" And I did. :D Hehe, Tsuna shall remember with his dying will soon! Thank YOU for reviewing, and I hope you continue on with your lovely fic~. -heart-  
><strong>SkyGem<strong>: Ahaa, you'll have to see! ;D. Thanks for complimenting this fail fic, hurhur. I hope you enjoy this update~. BTW, I LOVE YOUR USERNAME.  
><strong>kihlia<strong>: C: I'm glad it made you happy! Oh man, I counted that five times just to make sure! xD. It's okay! You're not stupid! I counted 21 first and then 25. I don't know LOL. I hope you like this chapter!

**Disclaimer**: Semifully does not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

**Pairing Hints**: 8027, 9527, L27 (friendship).

* * *

><p><em>III. Lightning that Burns Feelings<em>

* * *

><p>Even though the sun was blazing the previous afternoon, rain came tumbling down in big drops, striking anything that made an impact to the ground. Lightning struck in the sky occasionally, flashing the night sky with a vibrant glow. There seemed to be no stop of the storm for the whole night and no stop of the frequent lightning strikes and the loud booming of the patterned lines.<p>

Right now, it was three in the morning. You would expect for everyone (well, most) of the people residing in Namimori to be asleep, but there was one child sitting up straight on his bed. His eyes widened after each light, as if he was hoping for something to emerge from those shining lines. Perhaps...he was hoping for a miracle to appear.

Quiet, rhythmic breaths of others could be heard in the same room the child was in. There laid a boy few years older with light brown hair, hugging a small Chinese girl, who shared the same bed with the light brown haired boy. The two were currently on the opposite side of the small room that the three shared. The awakened child could not sleep like his roommates; the lightning was too captivating to ignore.

Another flash of lightning was seen and the small boy clutched on his blanket that he currently wore around his whole body. The loud roar of that bright line soon followed and he gripped tighter on the blanket. This action occurred every time he saw the lightning and heard the thunder, and every time that happened, the boy would whisper one name:

"Tsuna-nii..."

**. ?27 .**

By the next morning, the storm was over and only a few rays of light from the sun escaped from the gray clouds that were present as a result of the thunderstorm. The sidewalks were still wet from the harsh rain and puddles of mud and water were everywhere.

It was around nine in the morning and one teenage boy was happily walking on a road leading to a tall apartment. He had the same smile plastered on his face the entire walk and was playfully swinging his closed umbrella during the trek. At every puddle he encountered, the boy would step in them with his white sneakers whether it was a puddle of water or mud.

In just a few minutes following, the boy reached his destination: the apartment. He stepped into the lobby and walked straight to the elevator. He hummed a light tune to himself while waiting for the elevator to come down to the first floor. It didn't take long, fortunately, and he gladly stepped into the elevator, clicked a button and waited for it to ascend.

He reached the fifth floor soon enough and stepped out of the elevator and started his walk down the hallway. Soon enough, the teen stopped in one door and was about to knock on it, until he heard the daily crying coming from the inside.

"Get back here, stupid cow! Stop getting your dirty snot all over the floor! I just cleaned that, gah!"

"No!" Hiccup. "You can't tell the great Lambo-sama what to do!" Hiccup. "Bakadera!"

Yamamoto, who was the one in front of the outside part of the apartment, laughed leisurely to himself. It was the same thing as always, wasn't it? He smiled fondly while thinking about the unchanging relationship between the young five-year old hitman and his close friend. (Yamamoto considered him close, just probably not the other...well, Yamamoto hoped he did.)

He finally decided to knock and the fighting grew silent. Footsteps were heard coming to his direction and the door opened, revealing the familiar silver-haired bomber. He grunted when he only saw the athlete waving with his signature smile.

"Hey, Gokudera, Lambo!" Yamamoto greeted cheerfully. "I guess you guys were playing a game before I came in, huh? Care to let me join?"

Gokudera rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, stupid."

The black-haired teen just chuckled at the familiar insult and made his way into the room. Gokudera gaped when he saw muddy marks all over the other boy's sneakers.

"Baseball idiot, what's with the muddy marks? Do you want me to work my ass off cleaning the floor _again_? That stupid cow and you, ugh!"

Yamamoto blinked innocently and looked down to his shoes. He let out an embarrassed laugh and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Haha, I didn't even notice my sneakers were this dirty! I was just having fun stepping on the puddles during my walk and didn't think once about how dirty they would be as a result. Do you want me to help clean up? Haha."

"As if. You'll just ruin the place more with your stupidity."

"Haha, that makes no sense!"

"Shut up! It makes perfect sense to me!"

The athlete only continued laughing and followed Gokudera to the living room not far away from the entrance. It had gone loud again in a few seconds and Lambo could be seen running around the rooms, bawling his eyes out and dropping snot all over the floor. The silver-haired teen smacked his head with his palm before making his way to the original game of chase.

Lambo was quick this time and was even giving the bomber a lot of trouble. While running, the kid pushed chairs and other furniture all around to prevent the angry teenager from reaching him. Lambo was successful since Gokudera was having tons of trouble and began to develop ticked marks on his head. The little boy would have laughed, if it weren't for the tears coming out nonstop.

The storm guardian turned to the baseball athlete with an annoyed expression that said for Yamamoto to help him catch Lambo or else he would experience the wrath of dynamites, or something like that. However, the other was only standing in place with a dazed look on his face.

It was also around that moment that the front door opened, giving a chance for Lambo to make his grand escape out of the apartment with his small body that easily went around the person who was blocking the exit. Gokudera cursed to himself at the boy's escape and slumped on the floor in defeat.

Yamamoto blinked his eyes and turned behind to check who entered the apartment. He put on a grin and waved to the three: Bianchi, who was holding I-Pin with one arm and groceries in her other hand, and the little Fuuta holding onto the ends of Bianchi's shirt with one of his small hands while holding a light bag of groceries in the other.

"Aneki, you have such bad timing!" the Hurricane Bomber shouted painfully, still on the floor. If you're wondering why he hadn't gotten up, he just saw his sister's face and stayed down on the floor now holding onto his stomach. "You...stupid baseball idiot... You let that...stupid cow...escape!"

"Aha, sorry!" He walked up to Gokudera and helped the teen up. "I was just thinking about how it still seemed lively even after the...accident happened..."

"Except that stupid cow...was crying...because of not seeing...Juudaime."

"Oh, was that why? Aha, I guess I was thinking about Tsuna too. Lambo and I must have been thinking such similar thoughts that I...kind of understood why he didn't want to be caught." The baseball athlete turned to Bianchi and Fuuta and took the bags of groceries from their hold and placed it on the kitchen counter. "He probably couldn't handle it anymore."

I-Pin jumped down from Bianchi's arms and looked sadly at the opened door. Lately, Lambo hadn't been acting like his usual self, but it was not just him. Everyone was affected by this matter, even Bianchi. Though the Poison Scorpion herself didn't show it much, the feeling of despair was still there. Bianchi only tried to act like nothing happened in hopes to try calming those who took great effect.

The ranking star bent down to the young girl's level and patted her head affectionately. Fuuta was still young, but he still knew that he had to act like an older brother toward the youngest members of the group. Though he was greatly upset by the unforgivable act committed by the leader of the Millefiore Family, he had to act strong for his two best friends...and for Tsuna.

Bianchi let out a sigh and took out her goggles. She placed it over her eyes and walked towards her sickly looking brother. The young woman grabbed onto her half-brother's waist and hoisted him up on her back. She dropped him gently on the sofa and sat down next to him. Unconsciously, the woman turned to the closed room not far from the living room. Her eyes softened a little bit with worry and hurt.

Yamamoto let out a low chuckle to relieve the quiet tension in the air as he moved towards the couch. He might have been successful since he saw two small smiles coming from I-Pin and Fuuta. "I should go find Lambo since I missed my chance catching him, huh, Gokudera?"

"Do...what you want, baseball...freak."

The casual teen laughed once more and nodded. Before making his way to the door, he stopped in front of Gokudera and bent down towards the bomber's ear and whispered, "I tainted my white sneakers on purpose."

He could have sworn he saw the Storm Guardian's eyes widen with a single tear that was trying to make its way out from the corner of one of his eyes. Yamamoto put on a sad smile and finally walked to the door in hurry. He had to find Lambo before anything unintentional happened...

Yes, he had dirtied his sneakers. Every mud pile and puddle represented the dangers that the whole tenth generation family and companions faced since the beginning. The dirtiness resembled the aftermath of the mafia game...and the frightening emotions caused on everyone by the loss of one important person and the loss of that person's recollection of fun and unforgettable memories.

_Tsuna_, Yamamoto thought sadly before breaking into a jog, _how can I save you from your unknown world?_

In the end, purity was tainted with impurity.

**. 8027 .**

The doorbell rang, breaking Tsuna's concentration away from his video-game. He blinked to himself momentarily and paused his game. He remembered his mom went out shopping not long ago, and he clearly recalled that she had the keys with her before she left. It's only been around ten minutes since she had gone. Maybe it was the mail deliverer or some advertiser?

The boy rushed down to the door quickly, despite still wearing his pajamas. It's not like the person behind the door was one of his peers or someone from school, haha. Why would they even go through all that trouble to his house? It was imposs-

"Hiieee!" the brunet shrieked while falling to the floor after that. "Kyo-Kyoko-chan?"

The girl let out a giggle, seeing the reaction of the boy's. She extended her arm to him, which Tsuna gladly accepted and got up. She smiled a bit, seeing the brunet still in pajamas. The young boy noticed his outfit when Kyoko was staring at him funnily and shrieked once more before charging up the stairs back to his room (while tripping on the steps in the process).

"Kyoko-chan, just wait in the living room! I'll be down in a second! Just... OW. Just let me change, GAH!"

Kyoko winced to herself hearing all those noises coming from upstairs. She blinked, hoping Tsuna would be okay while changing. She then wondered if he was like this frequently before shrugging to herself and made her way to the living room in joy.

There were still some things that hadn't changed for Tsuna.

**. 9527 .**

Tsuna let out a tired sigh as he plopped on the floor on the opposite side of the table from Kyoko. He was finally changed and was happy he didn't have to deal with more bruises or scratches. Tsuna looked to the other girl curiously, wondering what brought her all the way to his house in the first place.

"Onii-chan told me the directions, if you're wondering," the girl cheerfully said. "Also, I came here to ask if you were doing anything important today. If you're not...want to go hang out?"

_Onii-chan? _Tsuna questioned in his head. _Ah, right. Onii-san. He acted really weird yesterday while talking to me. Not a bad weird, just...something I didn't expect of him. I guess there was a side to him I didn't know existed. ...Was that side to him always there? Onii-san looked so sad when he said those last words. It was as if _I _was the cause. ...Am I? And, why does he want to protect me so badly?_

_Anyway...! That ring of his, what was that? Was it some good luck charm of his? But, it looks exactly like the ring Hibari-san had, except for the color and the weird symbol on it. Why is it that those rings have this big influence on me? Just thinking about them gives me this...burning in my chest. I have so many questions unanswered... Those rings and these people... Just what do they actually have to do with me?_

"Tsuna-kun?" Kyoko questioned, a little worried about his sudden quietness. "If you don't want to, it's fine."

The brunet looked up to the girl with a face that pleaded for help. _And, that kiss that Kyoko-chan planted on my lips... Why would she bother with someone so no-good like me? Why does she even have an interest in someone like me? I still don't understand... Please, Kyoko-chan, tell me something. Anything. Just whatever that will relieve me from this misery._

The orange-head girl was taken aback at the expression. Once she saw his request for help, her heart would not stop beating. She could see the agony, the conflict of his emotions, and the tribulation too heavy for words to describe in his honey brown eyes. His pain was becoming her pain. The mix of these two emotional sufferings created a tension so overwhelming. She wanted to cry on the spot. She wanted to let him know the truth. But, for Tsuna to know the truth, that would mean accepting everything he never even wanted from the very beginning.

Forcing such memories would only be hard to accept for a boy who only wanted a normal life. They couldn't tell him. They didn't want the poor boy to take all the danger back. Being a mafia boss would only mean endangering close friends and people. They knew Tsuna never wanted such a cruel fate.

"No, I'll go with you, Kyoko-chan."

Her gaze shot back to reality and she looked at him with watery eyes. He was smiling, now. Tsuna was smiling brightly, despite all those questions marring him. Despite everything, Tsuna still wanted to show warmth to his dear ones. Kyoko smiled back, letting the water in her eyes disappear with her own warmth.

No matter how many people thought of Tsuna as no-good, she begged to differ. He was beyond them in many aspects. That's what she had always loved about the boy.

"Thank you, Tsuna-kun!"

**. 9527 .**

Like the usual bond between them before the accident, Kyoko and Tsuna were having a lot of fun. They talked about random things, walked around the shopping district (sometimes hand-in-hand if Kyoko initiated and Tsuna accepted), shopped around for accessories or clothes, and anything else that came to their mind.

_It is almost like how things were before,_ Kyoko noted. _Though... _The girl softened her eyes with a hint of grief. _Not exactly the same..._

"Ah, Yamamoto?"

Kyoko turned her attention back to Tsuna, and then looked to the direction he was staring at. Indeed, the tall teen was standing not far from them with a look of surprise and worry. Yamamoto's eyes and Kyoko's eyes met for a moment and he motioned for the girl to come closer to him.

She turned to the brunet with a small smile. "I'll be right back, Tsuna-kun. Please wait here."

Tsuna only blinked his eyes and nodded. The boy looked back to the baseball player and put on a small pout. _Did Yamamoto just look at me once and turn away quickly? Is he avoiding my gaze on purpose? Why does this make me feel so...heartbroken?_

The female quickly made her way to Yamamoto. "What's wrong, Yamamoto-kun? Did anything happen?"

"Haha, yeah... You see, Lambo rushed out of Gokudera's apartment just a few hours ago and I've been looking for him since. I can't seem to find him and I'm certain he went to look for Tsuna..."

"Eh? Lambo's missing? Okay, I got it! I'll go help you look for him! We should look for him quickly! I'm worried that he got into some trouble... Hold on. Let me go tell Tsuna-kun that we need something to take care of."

Yamamoto gave her a quick nod and the girl rushed back to the brunet. Once her back was turned, the boy positioned his eyes back to Tsuna, who wasn't looking back. He put on a sad smile, which he had been doing lately. He saw the younger boy smile brightly to Kyoko and at that moment, Yamamoto could feel a pang in his heart. _His smiles are so warm, yet full of despondency..._

"Okay, let's go, Yamamoto-kun!"

_Tsuna, are you back, yet?_

**. 8027 .**

The brunet let out a sigh and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He watched the retreating figures of the two until they were no longer in his sight. The boy was confused by what was going on and wanted to know the situation, but it seemed something that he should not meddle with.

_Guess I should just make my way home_, he decided with a sigh. _I wonder why Yamamoto gave me such a sad __expression and was avoiding my eyes the whole time. I know it was awkward between us that one time when I fainted and our first confrontation wasn't...happy. But, there's more to that. What are you hiding from me, Yamamoto? How is it that you make me feel this way?_

Tsuna shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. He didn't want to confuse himself anymore with this whole mess. Someone like him who had no social life, he was not used to something as awkward and strange as this...no matter how nostalgic things felt with everyone that circled him.

"Wahhh!"

A distant crying. The young teen blinked in curiosity. Without being aware, his body began to move with a mind of its own and rushed towards the source of the crying. Something in his mind was telling him to go over to the cry – his intuition, perhaps? Now he was sounding like his extreme older brother.

There was a small boy, probably around five-years old, sitting in a sandbox. What was peculiar about that very young boy was that he was dressed in...cow pajamas? He also had two horns attached to his afro that looked like it could hide anything! Well, he seemed too young to care about his appearance or anything of that sort. Anyway, that boy was the source of the crying.

Tsuna smiled to himself subconsciously. For some reason, he felt relieved seeing the crying boy. He wasn't sure why he felt that way, but he started to feel warm upon seeing that boy. It felt...gosh he was going to use that word again, nostalgic. Of course, crying wasn't something that should be in high spirits, but Tsuna felt it to be natural for that little boy.

The brunet approached the little baby with the smile still plastered on his face. "Hey, little guy, why are you crying like that?"

The cow-clad boy stopped his crying after hearing the familiar voice. He looked up to the smiling teen and widened his eyes in shock. He couldn't believe it. Was this a dream? No, it couldn't be. He could feel the sand under his butt and feel the immense happiness from his heart. Tsuna...was actually in front of him! This was like a dream come true!

He wanted to shout Tsuna's name out loud, but he couldn't. The state of shock prevented him from speaking, plus the burning in his throat from crying wasn't helping, either. But, oh gosh, Tsuna was right there. Right there. Right in front of him. Repetitive thoughts were circling in his brain, but that didn't bother him at all. Nothing could break him from the joy!

"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna for short." That smile was real. That was definitely Tsuna's smile. "What's your name, little guy?"

"L-Lam...Lambo-sama..."

The brunet couldn't help but let out a light laugh. For some reason, he expected an answer like that. Well, it was not like an answer like this came from every five-year old, but it just seemed...natural coming out of Lambo's mouth. The kid was very amusing.

Meanwhile, Lambo put on a wholehearted smile. _Tsuna-nii's laugh... Lambo-san didn't hear that in such a long time! _He was overjoyed to hear the familiar pitches, see the familiar smiles, and know that this was all real. The poor boy had longed to see the older teen. It was how things were supposed to be.

"So, Lambo, what were you doing before you started crying?"

"Lambo-san was searching for yo-... for someone!"

_Is he talking about his parents?_ Tsuna questioned. _Probably. The little guy is most likely lost. I should try helping him find his parents. _The brunet put on a small frown. _But, that doesn't sound right to me for some reason. Hm, oh well._

It was obvious, though, for who Lambo was really searching for. Of course the little boy was searching for Tsuna. That was why he ran out of the apartment in the first place; to find the brother he hadn't seen in so long. Lambo wasn't sure of all the details, but even the cow-clad knew there was something going on. That's why he wasn't living with Tsuna and Nana anymore.

"_Lambo-chan, you must not tell Tsuna-san anything about all the fun we had before, okay?" Haru told him in her serious voice, which kind of scared the little boy. "You can't tell Tsuna-san that you know him or that we all know him."_

"_But why not? Lambo wants to play with Tsuna-nii!"_

_A Chinese girl jumped in front of the five-year old hitman and shook her head. "No, Lambo! Haru-san and Kyoko-san said we can't."_

"_But Lambo wants to see Tsuna-nii! Don't get in my way, tail head!"_

"_Lambo, Kyoko-nee and Haru-nee said we can't," Fuuta sadly said, stepping into the conversation. "Everyone else...wants to see Tsuna-nii, too. But, right now, Tsuna-nii doesn't know who we are anymore. Do you remember that big fight everyone had? Tsuna-nii got hurt, so he can't remember anything."_

_Kyoko knelt down to Lambo and placed a hand on his afro gently. "I'm sorry, Lambo-chan."_

_Lambo shook himself, forcing Kyoko to retreat her hand. He stared hard at everyone before forming tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe it! Tsuna-nii couldn't remember him? But they were best friends! They were both so close. "YOU ALL ARE LYING! DON'T LIE TO LAMBO-SAN!"_

_I-Pin looked down sadly and shook her head. She said quietly, "It's true, Lambo... We are sorry..."_

**. L27 .**

Tsuna sweat-dropped at the current situation.

He had returned to the city to continue his search and was walking around where he could expect to see Lambo's parents...or whoever the little boy was looking for. However, the search wasn't going as smoothly as he planned. Though, he did learn a little bit about Lambo.

The little guy loved to bother him. He had always demanded for grape flavored candy and other sweets and food nonstop. If Tsuna said no for an answer, Lambo would resort to crying and the poor brunet would have no choice but to succumb to Lambo's wishes. Even though all this sounded like a lot of work and sounded awfully annoying, the teen couldn't help but _not _mind the trouble.

_Maybe it's because Lambo is still a little kid_, Tsuna decided.

"Lambo-san wants to go in there!"

Tsuna broke away from his thoughts and looked to where the five-year old was pointing with his tiny finger. They were in front of the amusement park. Many screams of thrill and laughter could be heard from inside the place. Tsuna never really enjoyed the amusement park since the attractions were, gosh, deadly! How did people survive on those super high roller-coasters and those scary haunted houses? Seriously!

But...Lambo was a kid full of joy. For once, the brunet didn't mind such a scary request. And besides, maybe whoever Lambo was looking for could be in a crowded place like the amusement park, right? There was a chance.

"Okay, Lambo."

Since Lambo was only five and was short, the workers would not let them on any of those crazy rides, no matter how much the little boy demanded for them to oblige (and bow before his feet). It was hectic, so Tsuna had to use all his energy to calm the younger boy down every time something like this occurred.

Because of the regulations and rules, the two were restricted to kiddy rides, not that Tsuna really minded. Still, he could tell that Lambo was enjoying himself. Tsuna had to wonder, would someone really enjoy his or her time with a no-good person?

"Gyahaha, Lambo-san is having a lot of fun!"

Tsuna couldn't help but smile at that. Maybe it was because five-year old kids have fun in the craziest ways and just have fun in whatever situation. But, Lambo was giving off this vibe of some sort. Warmth of undying friendship. He could tell that Lambo really meant what he said. The brunet was smiling brightly. It was not often he would get compliments like those.

"Spinning cups, Tsuna! Lambo is going to spin, spin, spin! After that, we have to go ride karts! And then Lambo-san wants to go see the..."

"Robots," Tsuna finished.

"Whoa, that's exactly what Lambo-san was going to say!"

The brunet chuckled and nodded. He scooped up the cow-clad boy with his arms and quickly rushed to the first attractions. Though Lambo had been troublesome in all of the rides and annoyed the teen to no ends, all Tsuna could think about was all the fun he was having with the little kid. It was the most fun he had in such a long time, and just being with Lambo brightened up his day.

There was something that kept bugging him throughout, still. This whole time, ever since he confronted Lambo, there was some...spark. It was as if a lightning bolt had struck between them, but connected them with a spark of a sibling-like bond. He had always been an only child so he was never used to such a feeling, but it felt different around Lambo.

Just like how Ryohei felt towards him, Tsuna felt like a big brother towards Lambo.

"Lambo-chan...! Lambo-chan! Where are you, Lambo-chan?"

The teen perked up at the familiar high pitch voice. Not far away was the brunette girl, swishing her ponytail in every direction her face turned. She was panicking and searching frantically for the little boy with him. So, the two knew each other, too? What a small world.

"Haru!" Tsuna called out, cupping his mouth. "Haru, Lambo is right here with me!"

The brunette turned to Tsuna and blinked. She smiled brightly before running up to him. "Hahi, Tsuna-san! Did you take care of Lambo-chan the whole day? Thank you so much, desu!" The girl looked down to the little kid's sleeping figure and giggled. "He was a lot to handle, huh?"

He laughed. "Yeah, but it was okay. I had a lot of fun with Lambo, too! It really was nice to play with Lambo; I felt like I was babysitting him the whole time...almost like a big brother." Tsuna's eyes softened to a friendly glow and ruffled the already crazed afro of Lambo's.

Haru's expression fell at his words. Not wanting to show Tsuna the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes, the girl lowered her head and gently took Lambo into her arms. There was anguish building up in her as she remembered the relationship that Tsuna and Lambo shared. It made her guilty trying to break them away in the beginning. Soon after that, they were almost inseparable siblings. And now...

She brought up her face for a moment and showed the brightest smile she could muster. "I'm sure Lambo-chan had a lot of fun with you. Take care, Tsuna-san."

By the next second, Haru was many steps away from him. The boy could feel a wave of melancholy coming from her and filling the atmosphere. It was barely conspicuous, but there was a trail of tears on the pavement Haru had walked upon.

_Haru's crying_, Tsuna bluntly thought. _Why is it that whenever I get closer to others, it just falls to obscurity and sorrow...? And...why is it that I knew what Lambo was going to say that time? It's as if...I've experienced it before..._

_It's as if lightning had struck all of their feelings._

**. L27 8627 .**

The sun's setting light gleamed on Lambo, causing the young boy to slowly open his eyes. He looked around his surroundings to see if Tsuna was still there. Sadly, the brunet wasn't and a short sigh escaped from his lips. He noticed that he was being carried in someone's arms, though.

"Haru!" the cow-clad boy exclaimed gleefully. "Where were you this whole time? You missed the big, fun day that Lambo-san had today!"

"Hahi! You woke up, Lambo-chan!" She put on a smile of her own. "Did you have a fun time today with Tsuna-san?"

"Yup! Lambo-san rode tons of rides with Tsuna! I wish the day continued! Lambo had more fun than he had any other day! Being with Tsuna-nii is very fun, definitely!"

The girl's smile fell for a bit, but she was happy. Happy that Lambo was getting the love from Tsuna like in the past. But, she couldn't help but think that it wouldn't be the same as it was before. Things were still hazy and they were all still in the dark.

"Haru's glad to hear that."

**. 86 L .**

* * *

><p>;_; Grahhh, utter failure! (I just spelled "failure" as failer. Oh geez.)<p>

So, yeah. Oh, dear, Lambo! :( I think Lambo was out of character in this chapter. Rahh, oh well. I hope you all enjoyed this! o3o. I procrastinated WAY TOO MUCH. Don't expect the next chapter so soon, haha! I only have like two paragraphs done LOL. x_x;; Procrastination and some stuff, hurhur. I'll try to get it in quicker! So, yeahh, love you all for taking your valuable time to read! ;;.

Thank you, all, and review? C: -heart-


	6. Chapter 6

I would have gotten this in sooner if it weren't for academy, Dane Cook, nigahiga, Pokemon OSTs, that Pokemon Live, Fairly Oddparents, and Phineas and Ferb. Also, it freaking hailed. HAILED. IN THE SUMMER. AT NINETY DEGREES. And those rock sized bastards decided to break the whole back window of my car! ajdkljdakls. But, on the good note, I finished the chapter! Sorry about the long (?) update. And, really, thank you for your reviews!

**FluffySquishie.25**: Aw, yay! You better not die! Or I have to get someone to perform CPR! If that works. D: And thank you! I'm glad I'm saving lives LOL.  
><strong>Invader Makiavella<strong>: xD Originally I planned for them to be first, but I wanted to twist things up a bit! And hehe, I love Lambo, too! No worries! Yes! We all know Yamamoto is a poet deep inside, hurhur. And thank you so much for taking your time to review! Your reviews literally make my day. :'D!  
><strong>Dream36<strong>: asdajskljsadkl -heartheart- Gokudera is still kicking up and alive! And LOL. I know what you mean with water guns! But then again, I'm doing the chasing, so... ;_; Thank you! I suck at using metaphors and symbolism. Like seriously. ROLLING IN THE DEEEEEP~ I love that song! xD. And omg, I'm so sorry for this being two days late! ;;. I hope you can forgive me, dongsaeng!  
><strong>permasmile<strong>: Your reviews make my day, too! 8D. Hehe, I didn't have Bianchi in this chapter...but she'll appear more! Sooner. Hopefully. c: And ajskjld thank you so muchhh! My Lambo is so skdjald, though. ;_;! I love you so muchhhhh! Thank you so much for the compliments and the help! I feel bad for Kyoko and Haru, too. D:  
><strong>Breathless02<strong>: Hehe, aw. Thank you!  
><strong>Emriel<strong>: xD Aha, it's okay! I don't mind at all! Everyone's opinions differ, so... But thank you anyway to telling me what you think! C:  
><strong>kihlia<strong>: I'm glad you can relate to the story! :D. And huh? Rant? Pfft, don't worry! It's all good! And Reborn is in this chapter! Well, not much, but... ;_;. Anyway, thank you!  
><strong>Taira-keimei<strong>: I had Lambo call him both nicknames xD. And I'm so sorry for the ooc Lambo! He's kind of ooc here, too, so... I hope you can bear with it. D: And thank you! Hehe, everyone loves Tsuna~! 8D.  
><strong>Mangafreak3<strong>: He'll remember soon! ^_^  
><strong>chocoluvr15<strong>: Aw, I'm glad you liked Lambo in this chappy! :) . LOL. Gokudera never fails to make me laugh when he sees Bianchi xD! I love 8027, too! I couldn't help putting in angsty Yamamoto just for the 8027! And aw, thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the chapters~! ^^  
><strong>ben4kevin<strong>: Thanks!  
><strong>ShiningStarz94<strong>: More 8027 and 5927 will be on their way! Chrome and Mukuro will appear soon~. Aha, thank you! I'm glad you love this. :D

And once again, THANK YOU **permasmile** FOR EDITING THIS AND PROOFREADING. Next time, sleep earlier for Rena's sake! D: . LOL. I felt so bad when I saw the time of the e-mail. ;_; But, d'awww, you're so sweet! Thank you so much! This story would be a bigger fail if it wasn't for you! xD.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

**Pairing Hints**: L27, R27, 3327, 8027.

* * *

><p><em>III. Lightning that Burns Feelings (2)<em>

* * *

><p>It was weird to begin with...how the little boy was titled to be the Lightning Guardian of the present Vongola Family. But, he was.<p>

As the first Lightning Guardian, Lampo, had once said: "to draw damage to himself and away from the rest of the Family, serving as a lightning rod," the task for the boy was too much to handle. Draw damage to himself in order to protect the Family, like a lightning rod? He was far too inexperienced and far too immature. He was supposed to be the shield that blocked anything, not cause even further damage for the rest.

...But, then again, the shield had been broken from the start.

**. L .**

The next day was a Monday, but school was closed due to a teachers' meeting. Most students should be excited and shouting screams of joy, but not these certain students and the other people with them. Right now, everyone was seated in the living room of Gokudera's apartment. A pregnant silence filled the air and no one was opening his or her mouth to break this. Well, except one.

"Lambo-sama demands to see Dame-Tsuna!" the cow-clad boy shrieked over and over, as he ran in circles and other abnormal shapes.

"Shut up, stupid cow!" Gokudera finally yelled out, clearly annoyed by the childish behavior of the little boy. "You need to learn to shut your damn mouth!"

Tears were now tainting the polished floor. "Not until Lambo-san sees Tsuna!"

"Don't be ridiculous, freaking cow!"

"No! Lambo-san wants to see Tsuna! Lambo-san already saw Tsuna yesterday, so Lambo-san has the right to see him again!"

Gokudera face-palmed, muttering how infantile the stupid kid was acting. This has been going on for a little bit over an hour, with Lambo's cries filling everywhere in the crowded living room. Haru and Kyoko had made attempts to quiet the little boy, but that only resulted in a bigger fuss. Threats (mostly by Gokudera) only made the small hitman tear up even more. Fuuta even offered to play with Lambo, along with I-Pin, but the cow-clad made it clear that he was in no mood to play. Even I-Pin's Gyoza Fist didn't help, only resulting in bigger sobs. No matter what they tried, nothing was quieting the loud baby.

A certain infant's patience went over the limit, soon enough. Gasps were heard and eyes widened by the next action. It was eventually going to come, seeing how Reborn was slowly losing his cool. Really, no matter how many times he had hurt Lambo in some way, _this_ seemed more...sentimental. Everyone had to question: was Reborn actually expressing a feeling?

The small infant in the suit glared to the cowering lad, who was recently kicked by the said Arcobaleno. "Shut up, stupid cow. No one wants to hear your damn demands."

For a moment, every living presence grew quiescent. The tension became even more rigid and no one dared to move. They were too shocked to what just happened. Reborn, the cute yet sadistic baby, was showing immense anger. Wasn't Reborn supposed to be apathetic and indifferent? Not _concern_ for...his _past_ student.

It was Reborn that told everyone not to say a word to the brunet about the mafia. It was Reborn that said not to involve their lives further into the boy. Tsuna forgot his memories and this was for the best. Yet, how Reborn was portraying signs of worry and _care_ for his student... It seemed to contradict everything that was said by his own mouth.

"I don't care!" Lambo shouted, filling the air with his screams once more. "Lambo-san wants to be with Lambo-san's one and only onii-chan! Lambo wants to be with Tsuna! Don't stop Lambo-san from seeing who he wants to see! Lambo wants to be with the one he loves!"

Ryohei suddenly stood up from the floor, slamming his fists on the coffee table with great force. It was a wonder how the poor table did not break from the impact.

"Don't be so selfish!" the boxer screeched with his booming voice. "Everyone loves Sawada here right now, but he doesn't even extremely love us back like he did before!"

The little boy grew silent once more. First Reborn, now Ryohei. The ones that weren't expected to feel so strongly and seriously over something was now contradicting that. Aside from their love for boxing or threatening, they were being pressured over this whole ordeal. So it seemed Ryohei and Reborn had sides of them that no one expected for them to have.

Ryohei continued, "Why do you think no one is no longer ecstatic about life? It's because Sawada doesn't know who we are anymore! He extremely forgot us and it is breaking _every single one _of our hearts, not just yours! Stop saying that you want to be with Sawada when all of us want to return to the way things were before! Stop reminding us of this pain!"

Another silence followed his speech. Reborn is the first to move and make noise. His expression was unreadable since his face was covered by the shadow of his fedora. The baby hitman was walking to his room and once he reacheed his destination, Reborn slammed the door shut and a locking sound could be soon heard after that.

The remaining group turned to the inflicted cow-clad. The sight was scary. The poor boy's face was drained of everything and darkened to nothingness. The sight was rare, and it should have remained like that. It was as if...Lambo had gone to an unknown world.

"Lambo-san was stupid, all along..."

The orange-haired girl rose by instinct and tried to reach for the retreating figure of Lambo. However, her reach was cut off by Fuuta's grip on her arm. He shook his head, silently telling her that Lambo should be left alone for the moment and left to deal with his inner conflict by himself. Kyoko knew that Fuuta didn't want to leave the smaller boy alone, too, but...

Man, everything became a mess.

**. L27 R27 3327 .**

Once lightning makes an impact on an object or particular piece of land, that thing or the place on the ground will be charred. The components of lightning make it a dangerous part of Mother Nature...and a dangerous weapon. Once hit, one can be sure to be burnt to crisp. No matter how much electricity shocks him, however, it was proven the boy would remain alive.

However, Lambo felt like any other person that would have died by the lightning on the spot, right now.

His older brother-like person... The teenager that played with him countless times when the littler of the two asked (or rather, demanded)... The older boy who treated the five-year-old like a genuine younger brother, as family... The brunet that loved and cherished him no matter the amount of trouble caused by constant explosions and a very childish demeanor...

"Tsuna-nii..." Lambo mumbled, hiding himself under the sheets on his bed. "Why was everyone...not lying? Why is it that you really _don't_ remember Lambo-san? Even though we had all the fun together...! Is it really true, Tsuna? Why can't... Why can't we be together...anymore?"

Tears were rolling down his small, chubby cheeks. Frequent hiccups made his body jump. Unlike his previous loud sobs, this one was soft. No one would have been able to hear his crying, even if someone was leaning against the door.

Lambo couldn't help but think about how he was inflicting more damage to everyone. By reminding everyone about the horrid situation, he was adding more oil to the fire. He couldn't help it, though. Tsuna was someone he valued so much. No matter the trouble the little boy caused and no matter the danger involved, Lambo wanted to follow his older brother.

He wanted to desperately to grow up quickly and catch up to Tsuna and everyone else. He wanted to stay with him closely and treasure new memories with the older ones. That's because he saw the older brunet as...an older brother. No, not a boss. A brother.

Losing Tsuna was the last thing Lambo wanted. He was hoping so badly to have a good life with everyone once the whole future fiasco was over and done with. But, that had to happen and now... Now, Lambo was left in his dark world. A dark world of nothingness, with ongoing strikes of lightning...of destruction. It was nothing without his precious older brother.

By being apart from the one person he held dearly, it was like the lightning storm in him was not even close to stopping. Lambo was being hit by each flash, and his heart was burning. The only way to put out the flames was to...be with Tsuna. Dame-Tsuna, his most beloved brother...

"I'm so stupid..." Hiccup. "And selfish." Hiccup. "Everyone is getting hurt and reminded..." Hiccup. "Because of Lambo-san..." Hiccup. Sniffling. "Tsuna-nii, please stay with Lambo-san...!"

It was a cry for a longing.

**. L27 .**

The brunet pouted to himself as he flipped through the channels. There was nothing good to watch on television and he had played far too many games just before. Tsuna had decided to come to the living room and keep his mother company for a while, until she went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Now, he was bored again. Sighing, the boy got up from the couch and walked over to the dining table.

There were many seats. It was always this many from the start, but he felt like the seats _did_ belong here. They could have been removed, but...it just felt _right_. Why? It's not like anyone else lived in the house; only two people resided in here. But...Tsuna felt like there should have been more. Way more. More to the point there should have constant noise and frequent yelling. Not...quiet. He wasn't used to this silence anymore. Is that bad? It was always this peaceful, though.

Why the sudden change? It's weird. Ever since getting out of that coma, he's been having strange thoughts, mostly about the people around him. Or rather, the people that _coincidentally_ slithered their way in his life. Was it even _normal_ for a person to be acquainted with the gods and goddesses of the school he or she goes to? Also, meeting a young boy that he had never met and feeling a spark of a sibling attachment with that boy was something Tsuna never imagined confronting.

That boy, Lambo. That young boy felt like a huge bolt of lightning. No, it wasn't the fact that his hair looked like it's been hit by electricity. For some reason, the brunet knew there was some sort of turmoil going on inside of that cow-clad kid's mind. The main cause of that chaos, Tsuna was not sure. However, he had this feeling it had something to do with him, himself... Why would a young boy like Lambo be so enthusiastic to play with a no-good teenage boy like him?

Well, yeah. Lambo didn't know him so it wasn't like he would know about the bad qualities of the brunet. But, still... Tsuna didn't even knew how to handle kids. He was always an only child. However, it was as if Tsuna actually knew how to keep Lambo company and take care of him. He was, of course, annoyed by Lambo's spoiled behavior, but somehow...used to it.

Poison. Hm, why had the boy thought of that all of a sudden? Chinese food, takoyaki, and...a big book. Ah-ha. He was going insane with these random thoughts. But, all these words sounded...familiar.

"That smells nice, mom," the boy said, snapping out of his thoughts to smell the fresh smell of delicious gyuudon **(1)**. He sauntered to the kitchen, standing beside his mother. "And gosh, that looks good! I'm getting hungry just looking at it!"

Nana let out a cheerful laugh. "It'll be ready soon, Tsu-kun."

_Beef, huh? It reminds me of Lambo. Too much of Lambo, actually. _"Oh, yeah, mom. Yesterday, you know how I went to hang out with Kyoko-chan, right? Our time was interrupted and I ended up meeting this cute boy in the park afterward. He was wearing these cow pajamas that surprisingly fit him really well. Also, he has this huge afro and I swear he has many dangerous things hiding in that big bush... Ah, mom! Are you okay?"

While the teen was rambling on about the description of Lambo, Nana dropped the spoon she was using. Just when she was about to taste the dish, the spoon that was in her hand fell to the ground, making a small mess on the floor.

"Aha, silly me! I made a mess. Tsu-kun, will you get me a rag? I have to clean this up before I make an even bigger mess!"

The brunet grabbed the rag in haste and handed it to his mother, who thanked him warmly. Tsuna couldn't help but think that it was not a random accident, though. Just before Nana laughed at her mistake, he could have sworn there was a look of surprise on her face. Did...his mother happen to _know_ Lambo? No, way, right? That's silly. Yet, all this seemed connected. Bounded, really.

_Like the sky_. Tsuna shook his head. _Augh! What's with me and these random thoughts?_

"Hey, mom... Do you think we can get Chinese food later on? Oh, and I'm itching to have some meat buns... Just nothing with poison in them. And we need to get the best ranked ones! But, first, that gyuudon has to be devoured and put in my stomach!"

"Okay, Tsu-kun... We'll get them, soon!"

**. 27 .**

Protection...that's what Lambo had been getting from everyone at the start.

It was now his job to give it to them. But, how? Here he was, sitting by the window all day and only leaving his room when going to the bathroom. He didn't even know that an event such as this could inflict so much pain to him. Not being able to see his no-good brother...it's like a nightmare. A nightmare within bolts of lightning.

It was his turn to give the protection back. But, how can he? Just like Ryohei had said, he was bringing back the painful memories by wanting Tsuna back with him. He was being selfish and only thinking about his own benefits. He was asking for something impossible and out of this earth. And by doing that...well, he was bringing more lightning bolts into the whole ordeal. And electrifying the mood until everyone was more upset and angered.

Lambo didn't understand. Why did this happen? Weren't normal five year old kids supposed to experience good things from people they loved? Weren't young kids supposed to grasp joy, friendship, and happy endings? Then, what was this? What was he feeling? Sorrow, pain, loneliness, and loss. Books that little kids read at his age had happy endings... So, wasn't that what he should be getting right now?

Sure, the little boy faced dangers. Sure, his life was different compared to other kids...well, maybe not much different to I-Pin's. But look, he was involved in the mafia at his age! He was a freaking Guardian of the Vongola Family! ...Well, the cow-clad figured life wouldn't be all that jovial considering his favorite brother was always screaming his lungs out and that mafia life always led to much tumult.

Anyway, he was supposed to draw damage to himself and protect the family from harm. But, how can he when he himself is inflicted? Clearly, his emotions became nothing. They were charred to ashes, and they wouldn't resurface back up. He lost all happiness. He lost his laugh and his big annoyance. Nothing was left of him. Absolutely nothing...

That's what I-Pin was worried about. She knew that Lambo was greatly hurt from being yelled at and realizing that he was doing no good to everyone by screaming, whining, and yelling. She, too, missed Tsuna very much, but she also missed the old Lambo. The Lambo she knew best was nothing like the Lambo she knew now.

And, gosh, seeing everyone so depressed... Fuuta didn't know how to act. He was supposed to tell his little brother and sister that everything was going to be okay. Hell no, it wasn't. And both I-Pin and Lambo knew that. Things have gotten so...messed up ever since Tsuna-nii's memories went whoosh. Worst of all, Lambo lost everything connected to his feelings.

But, Fuuta didn't want to give up. Lambo needed encouragement and strength right now. He...needed to see Tsuna, and so did Fuuta himself along with I-Pin. So what if it was selfish? It was Ryohei, Gokudera, and Reborn's faults for acting like babies. If they didn't think it was best to see Tsuna, then so be it. Being selfish? That's what little kids were supposed to do.

Besides, Lambo's heart was breaking. If this continued on, who knows what would happen to the kid? He would only see the insecurities of life and might never feel complete joy to mend his breaking heart.

"The only solution we have is to bring Lambo to Tsuna-nii!" the light brown haired boy exclaimed to the Chinese girl. "That's the only way he'll be better! So, I-Pin, we have to convince Lambo!"

She saw the determination in the young boy's eyes. They were sparkling...like a star. Right now, his mood fit his name. If Fuuta was going to be this determined, then she had to be too. After all, this was her partner in trouble. As Lambo's best friend, I-Pin had to do something..._anything_ to help him. That's what their friendship was there for. Even if the young boy caused a lot of trouble, he was still special to her.

"Yes! We must!"

The lightning struck Lambo, but instead of protecting everyone...Lambo had hurt himself until his feelings turned to burnt crisp.

**. L27 2 I .**

"That damn cow is so stupid," the silver-haired teen said, lighting a cigarette as he made his way to the window. A cloud of smoke escaped from his lips, letting the breeze carry it away. The actions continued on in silence.

Not far from him was Ryohei, sitting on the couch with his eyes heavily glued to the floor. He was deploring on his shout to the innocent five year old. What caused him to snap like that? Never once did he get annoyed or angered by the little kid that badly, no matter how annoying Lambo could be. Since the morning, the boxer has been mulling over what he said and his little brother.

Yes, somehow he had made up with Tsuna. Well, it wasn't like they got in a fight...kind of, but they were in good terms, now. Better than the other guardians, he guessed. But, gah. It still wasn't the same as before. He missed the genuine smile coming from his boss. And god, he missed fighting alongside Tsuna and protecting him whenever he needed it. He missed the memories Tsuna forgotten.

It was wrong of him to yell at Lambo like that. The poor kid was so hurt from losing his older brother. And that's what they had in common: losing a close brother. Ryohei should have understood the pain that Lambo was going through. After all, the boxer had wished so many times for the brunet to remember anything about him and to just be with him without having it to be so...awkward and foreign.

It's like that for Lambo, and being one of the oldest guardians, Ryohei failed to realize that.

"He's stupid for thinking things would be the same again," Gokudera suddenly said, grabbing everyone's attention. "That stupid cow's been selfish from day one." He threw his finished cigarette out the window without even disposing it properly. "Juudaime...probably misses him, too, though... No matter how much that cow annoys me, I just wish there was some way he can be with Juudaime..."

At that moment, a light bulb flashed on Ryohei's head. With a new grin, the boxer stood up hastily and grabbed his sister's hand with one hand and Haru's hand with the other. He took in a deep breath, preparing to shout some loud words. (Gokudera covered his ears to soften the noise.)

"ARTS AND CRAFTS, TO THE EXTREME!"

"Hahi!"

"Onii-chan!"

The girls were dragged the next second by the enthusiastic athlete out of the apartment. Gokudera rolled his emerald eyes, not really caring for what the older teen was about to do, but he was a bit curious. Well, speaking of athletes... The bomber turned his head back and forth to see if he could find the other athlete freak.

Yamamoto was nowhere to be found in the living room.

**. 59 33 95 86 .**

The baseball player thought it was the best time to see if Lambo was okay. Ryohei, Haru, and Kyoko all left the apartment, having only Bianchi, I-Pin, Fuuta, Reborn, and Gokudera inside. Well, I-Pin and Fuuta went outside for a bit with Bianchi. Reborn was still cooped up in his room. Lastly, Gokudera probably wouldn't care much about Yamamoto, so what the heck. He could have some time to check up on the Lightning Guardian.

He gently opened the door, just in case Lambo was crying or whatever and didn't want to surprise the boy. However, Yamamoto found out that Lambo wasn't crying. Instead, he seemed to have a calm composure on him. The small kid's back was facing him so that his front was facing the big, wide window. A blanket hugged his petite body while the tray of food was left to the side. Only half of the food was eaten... And this was the first time Lambo didn't ask for any seconds.

But, the baseball freak couldn't show any hint or form of sadness. That wasn't like him, anyway. He was a person full of smiles, just so that everyone around him could smile, too. And right now, that was his goal: to make Lambo smile.

He took a chair from the single desk in the room and slid it to a spot next to Lambo. He knew the young boy felt a presence of a newcomer, but Lambo never bothered to turn around and see who it was. He wouldn't even look at the teen right now either. However, Yamamoto wasn't going to give up like that. Oh, no. Lambo needed to recall the good parts of Tsuna, not having the thought of Tsuna's broken memories nagging his head.

"Tsuna loves you, Lambo, haha. He still loves you somewhere in his heart."

The little boy didn't say anything. He was still staring outside the window, watching the birds fly freely and the storm clouds rolling in. Those clouds were starting to hide the sky... The azure, beautiful sky. Soon enough, rain was going to fall and lightning would shock the earth. It fit the atmosphere in the room right now, actually, and the two people with those attributes were currently in the room. Funny.

Still, Yamamoto knew Lambo was listening to his words. After all, the cow-clad boy twitched slightly at the sound of his older brother's name.

"What happened, Lambo? The time you disappeared yesterday, I mean."

The casual teen's immediate reply was silence. That was kind of expected, he figured. Lambo wasn't ready to talk right now. After all, he just got yelled at by two of the guardians _and_ just realized how hard it was for everyone to think about the Decimo. And what was Lambo doing? Being his selfish self. Weird how the word "self" was in the word "selfish."

Only met with silence for the next five minutes, Yamamoto decided it was still too early to face Lambo. The poor kid needed his space, anyway. He figured that it was best for the boy to think about everything to himself for the time being and that he would be ready to talk a little later.

The teen stood up from his slouched position and placed his hands on the chair he was sitting on to move it back. However, his action was cut off by a sniffle. Yamamoto put on a soft smile as he saw Lambo finally letting out some tears. Waterworks were shooting from the child's eyes and it didn't seem to cease until much later on. The athlete's smile widened once he lifted Lambo from the chair he was sitting on and placed the boy on his lap.

Lambo buried his face in Yamamoto's chest. The black-haired teen didn't really care about the now wet shirt and kept a tight hold on the baby hitman. Yamamoto started to lightly pat Lambo's back to comfort the kid. He wasn't much of a brother to begin with and preferred to be a friend to everyone, but right now Yamamoto was able to experience Tsuna's role. The thought brought a bigger smile to his face.

"Lambo-san...had a great time with Dame-Tsuna..."

The tears still didn't stop and Lambo started to hiccup and sniffle frequently. Yamamoto reached out an arm to a tissue box nearby and took out a couple of the soft material from the box. He lifted Lambo's face off his shirt to wipe the tears and snot off. Man, little kids were messy when they cried jets of water. Still, they seemed cute that way...and even more loving.

"W-we went to the amusement park to p-play... Lambo-san told Dame-Tsuna that he w-was looking..for someone... It was almost the truth...though! Lambo-san forced...Tsuna to get ice-cream, takoyaki, grape candies, cotton candy, and lots of grape soda... And we went on rides...! Nyehaha, Tsuna was hilarious with his weird faces and he was...a-a scaredy cat! And then Tsuna screamed at the robots and bumped his kart to the fence! It was really, really fun with Tsuna-nii!"

The tone changes didn't go unnoticed. The waterworks have made a complete stop and a big, warm smile replaced his face. There were a bit of tear marks on his cheeks, but the smile was the main point. His face had lightened up like a Christmas tree and he was starting to laugh. Yamamoto hadn't heard a single laugh from Lambo every since the boy had moved to Gokudera's apartment.

And Lambo's calling the boy "Dame-Tsuna" to "Tsuna-nii" was adorable. Really, all Yamamoto heard from the young hitman were insults to the Vongola tenth boss, but right now Lambo seemed to treasure his older brother closely.

It's funny how this whole chaotic event that no one ever expected to happen was the thing to trigger the closeness of Tsuna and the people around him. Ironic, isn't it?

"There's a smile on your face, Lambo, haha!" Yamamoto laughed. "It suits you really well. You should keep it on!" He stopped laughing to pat the cow-clad on the head. "The happiness emitting from you, I'm sure Tsuna could feel it. And I think Tsuna really enjoys your company, too."

Once the sky disappeared, everything chased after it.

**. L27 8027 .**

I-Pin and Fuuta were right outside the door when they heard the talk between Lambo and Yamamoto. They looked to one another and smiled warmly. It was better that Lambo was feeling happier since the morning event. They were really worried about what to do for Lambo, after all. But now, it seemed Lambo was doing okay. Thank goodness.

And right now, it was the perfect time to talk to Lambo about the plan.

They were going to sneak out in the morning the next day and go visit Tsuna's house. All three of them. It was perfect, right? The three of them were going to see their favorite teenager and everyone would be happy. No one would have to know.

"Does that sound like a plan, Lambo?" Fuuta asked a few minutes after Yamamoto had left with Gokudera to the sushi shop. "We'll leave extra early before Tsuna-nii goes to school! It'll be quick, but we'll see him! Okay, Lambo? ...Okay?"

The little cow-like boy hesitated. If he saw Tsuna again, he knew he would start crying. He was sure of that. But, he wanted to get better. He wanted to see him at least one last time. Seeing Tsuna...would reawaken his burnt feelings.

But he was five. And five year old kids were supposed to get their happy endings. Even if Tsuna didn't love him back the same way as before, he wanted to be there for the brunet. He wanted _his_ Dame-Tsuna by his side. Because that was his happy ending. Being selfish...well, Lambo was selfish to begin with anyway. The other guardians should have known that by now!

And besides, when the sky is mad, lightning would rage on the earth. Lightning was how the sky would get what it wanted. And Lambo was lightning. He would give Tsuna his company because he knew the teen would like that. He would shout until he got to see the beloved sky that he protected.

Screw the selfishness.

"Okay!"

**. L27 2 I .**

He woke up late the next day...

Tsuna held his alarm clock in his hands and noticed that it was already ten in the morning. No point in going to school, then. He slid out of his bed, not even bothering to make it. He began his morning routine: changing (into regular) clothes, going to the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth, tripping down the stairs... Yup, definitely still Dame-Tsuna after all.

Once his chin landed on the floor with a loud thud, Tsuna could smell something in the air... It smelled delicious and his stomach started to grumble. Food. Breakfast. He was actually going to eat a big breakfast for a school morning! Just his luck!

He wasted to time to get up and rush to the kitchen. Except...hm. There were more people in the house. Kids, actually. Two boys and...was that a girl? They were all sitting around the dining table and chatting amongst themselves. And they were eating his breakfast...? Oh, wait, one of them is Lambo. His mother was washing dishes in the sink. She looked lovely this morning, too...

"LAMBO?"

The young hitman looked up to Tsuna. He put on a grin with many rice grains sticking in his teeth. "Dame-Tsuna! You're awake! We came to visit you!"

Tsuna blinked. Lambo called him by his nickname at school... How did Lambo even know that? Oh, well, he figured that the news spread around. Great. Just fantastic. But, somehow... _It sounds nostalgic. Is that even how I'm supposed to feel when I get called that by a five year old? And... We... The other two looks like people I know. Close people to me, actually._

"Nice to meet you, um..."

"Fuuta!" the ranking star chirped happily. "And the girl in the braid is I-Pin! We're Lambo's friends and we came to see you, Tsuna-nii!"

He was surprised by their enthusiasm. Was he really that much of an interesting person to meet? He didn't really think so. He was Dame-Tsuna, for goodness sake! Even Lambo knew his nickname! Embarrassing. But, the people he met so far...they were all acquainted to each other in some way. Why was that? It seemed...suspicious. Very suspicious... His _intuition_ was telling him so. Oh, goodness. How he sounded like his loud brother.

..._Brother_?

Nana let out a light chuckle, turning her face to Tsuna. "Lambo came here early this morning to play with you and he brought Fuuta and I-Pin. I decided to just let you stay home and watch them for today. Does that sound okay with you, Tsu-kun?"

"Sure. I don't mind." The brunet turned to the kids with a smile. "So, after breakfast we should all go, okay?"

"Yes!"

**. 27 L 2 I .**

"That's I-Pin's!"

"Don't take Lambo-san's ice-cream!"

"Lambo, that was really I-Pin's ice-cream... You finished yours, remember?"

"Fuuta, don't lie! This is definitely Lambo-san's ice-cream!"

Tsuna let out a sigh. Taking care of kids was a chore. He had bought all the young kids ice-cream and right now, Lambo was fighting with the other two over "his" ice-cream. And, no. That wasn't Lambo's ice-cream they were talking about. It was definitely I-Pin's. And really, the brunet had bought them many snacks and sweets, though it always ended up in a quarrel.

He smiled, despite the argument taking place in front of him. They were lively. It brought happiness to him, seeing the three of them still having fun. And just being with them...brought a very warm feeling in his heart. It was...heartbreaking. Not being with them would definitely make him feel lonely.

...Tsuna kind of wished they were living with him. (Even if they are a pain, especially the cow-clad one.)

"Tsuna-nii!" Fuuta shouted, snapping the brunet out of his thoughts. "Let's go to the playground!"

If Tsuna thought of Lambo being so close to him, he would start crying. Tsuna never cried, so why is it that all these people are making him feel this way? Though the boy got beat up many times, he never was on the verge of tears. But, thinking about these kids...and his friends (?) at school broke him inside. Why was there such a burning in his chest...?

He smiled to the young kids. "Sure!"

**. 27 L 2 I .**

The day had gone too quickly. They were all seated on the bench, watching the sun set. Well, only Tsuna and Lambo were. Fuuta was fast asleep next to the older teen and I-Pin was cutely rolled up in a ball on Tsuna's lap. Lambo was seated on the other side of Tsuna and was playing with a...toy grenade?

"Hey, Lambo, is that real?"

The young kid looked up with eyes of obviousness. "Duh! Lambo-san always carries around real grenades with him! They go all explode-y on the ground and boom!"

A drop of sweat rolled down the brunet's face. He didn't know whether to believe it or not. A five year old with...grenades? What was this, some mafia game? Hah! As if there were mafiosi actually running around this small town. ...Actually, he kind of believed it a teeny bit.

"Are you Haru's younger brother?"

"Nope! Haru is Lambo's good friend! Nyehaha, she's my playmate, along with Kyoko! We have a fun time together! ...But Lambo-san also had a good time with Tsuna..."

The teen looked down to Lambo, who was blushing a bit. He giggled and patted the other's afro affectionately. Even though Lambo was...well, a selfish kid, he knew when to compliment others. "That means a lot. Thank you, Lambo."

A silence filled the air after that. The two awakened ones turned back to the setting sun. Tsuna's hand covered Lambo's little one. They fit like a puzzle piece and the two made no motion to let go. They were content like that, holding hands. And it was at that moment Tsuna felt that warm sentiment in his heart.

His throat started to burn. His whole body felt like melted glue, sticky and burning. Oh god, his throat was hurting so much. Why was he even feeling this way? He hadn't felt like this towards the others. Not this much. But, with Lambo and the kids...why? He felt so darned close to them. He wanted to stay with them and never let them go from his embrace. This was scaring him so much. Never had he felt such attachment to anyone. These little ones...what were they to him?

"Are you crying, Dame-Tsuna?"

His free hand rose to his face and rested there. He could feel the hot tears rolling down his cheeks. The burning sensation wasn't leaving him. ...Why did everything hurt so much? The happiness...was making him feel like death itself. Did he die somehow and revive as some empty capsule? Why couldn't he remember _something_? Anything that would help him...

Lambo tiptoed and wiped the older boy's tears away with his other hand. The little cow put on a sad smile while doing so. Tsuna couldn't help but think Lambo was not person to show such a sad smile like that. Lambo was supposed to be loud, annoying, and troublesome. Not...unhappy.

"Don't cry."

"...Everything hurts inside, Lambo. I don't...know why."

Tsuna didn't expect the small boy to console him or anything. But, with Lambo just being there was enough for him to cry...yet feel immensely mirthful. Annoyed, yet in high spirits. Burned and charred, yet risen from the ashes.

"Lambo-san was looking for Tsuna that day."

That shocked him. But at the same time, it didn't. "Do we know each other, Lambo? Please tell me the truth. I feel like...I'm missing a lot of things in my life."

"...We don't. Lambo-san just thought Tsuna would be someone worthy to play with me and be my older brother... My older brother..."

It was Lambo that started to cry now. They were taking turns crying, huh? Watching Lambo cry hurt him, but Tsuna couldn't help but feel this to be so...right. He let out a genuine laugh and held his hand towards Lambo, brushing away the tears.

_This is happiness..._

"I thought about you a lot, Lambo. Ever since I saw you, I knew there was something telling me that I should protect you...and continue protecting you. My heart tells me...you're someone I could put my whole life on. I want to be there for you, Lambo, and take care of you... Just being with you makes me feel so...brotherly. Do you consider me to be your older brother, Lambo?"

The small boy nodded briskly. "A-and... Lambo-sama...will protect Dame-Tsuna, too...! L-Lambo-san will always be...Tsuna's guardian!"

_That's...similar to what onii-san said... What are they to me? _Who _are they to me? Why can't I get answers...? Why can't I see the truth? Everything feels...clouded. What are they hiding from me? Why do I feel...like I'm in a place full of lightning that strikes and burns? A secluded place to myself... I feel as if I'm in some conflagration created by bolts._

"Sawada! Lambo!"

Tsuna looked up, seeing a familiar face. He blinked to himself. "Onii-san? Is that you?"

The boxer approached them with a sheepish grin. His face softened seeing the two sleeping children and a shocked cow-clad boy right beside them. They seemed happy, blissful, and elated. Well, even if Lambo seemed to be crying, Ryohei couldn't help but feel the delight coming from the said boy. Even Tsuna...looked merry. The sight was beautiful, really.

The sitting teen tilted his head. "Onii-san, what are you doing here?"

"I extremely came looking for Lambo, I-Pin, and Fuuta because Kyoko and Haru told me to!" He let out a laugh and smiled. "I can you see all had a great time together."

A light red blush scattered across Tsuna's face. He picked up Lambo with one arm and held the boy close to him. "We had a fun time, right?"

Ryohei grinned and patted the brunet on the head. "Thanks for your extreme work, Sawada! I'll take it from here now. You can go home. It's already past seven!"

"Hiieee! Mom's going to start worrying!" He handed Lambo and I-Pin to the older male and shifted Fuuta so that he wouldn't fall down to the side. "Thank you so much for picking them up, onii-san! I'll come to school tomorrow, so I'll see you then!"

Just when Tsuna was about to leave, a voice stopped him.

"Wait, Tsuna!"

He turned back around, wondering what Lambo wanted. The cow-clad jumped off of Ryohei's arms and landed in Tsuna's panicked and opened ones. But that's not what shocked Tsuna and the boxer. It was the next action that happened right the next second...

An innocent kiss, placed on Tsuna's lips.

"Hiieee! L-Lambo?"

A goofy grin was all the answer that Tsuna got from the little boy before he started scrambling out the playground from embarrassment and a wanting to get home quickly.

"Hey, Lambo," Ryohei said, grabbing Lambo's attention. "Do you see something poking out from my pocket?"

He blinked. "A-a doll's face?"

"Take it out and see for yourself."

The athlete bent down so that it was easier for Lambo to reach for the item. The sunny face was all the answer he needed to know that the young boy loved the present. Lambo hugged it tightly to his chest. A gift he was never going to throw out or lose.

A doll of Tsuna, with rushed and messy stitching, but it was perfect.

"Nyehaha, Lambo-san will be the lightning that will light the storm for Tsuna-nii! That way, Tsuna will be able to find Lambo-san easily during hard times! Lambo-san will always be with Tsuna and keep him close, along with our friendship! That's what lightning should do for the sky!"

In its own way, lightning was supposed to shine for the sky. Not burn it, but to give a strong feeling that would remain in the sky's heart forever.

**. L27 33 .**

_He's okay_, Tsuna thought on his way back home. _Lambo's okay._

The speck of green light that shone not far from him was just enough to prove it.

**. L27 .**

* * *

><p><strong>1<strong> Gyuudon is a Japanese dish. Aka known as "beef bowl." (:

This marks the end of Lambo's part! o3o. Gupyah!

I should sleep early xD. But sjkdsl. Don't want to. ): Anyway, thank you all for your support and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one will be a new character, so look forward to that! And LOL. Wireless TV headphones? I want that. Sorry, I'm watching TV while I'm typing this... It looks so cool! ...Sorry. Getting disturbed.

Oh, and if you guys like 1827, I contributed a story for it! It's _Heartstrings_. There's some Tsuna/Chrome in the beginning, but it's all for the good of the story. D: I promise you, though, that there will definitely be 1827! ;w;. That pairing is so adorableee. And I'm thinking about putting up a story for 8027 soon. I kind of have an idea for it, so... C: .

;_; You all are so kind! I love you guys so much! Thank you for taking your time to review! Really, it motivates me to continue typing! -heart-


	7. Chapter 7

;~; Sorry, this is short. I promise the next chapter will be longer! ajskdljal. I'll only be replying to reviews that I feel should be replied to... Don't worry! I read all your reviews and I **love** you guys so much for them! ;A;.

**Dream36**: P-perfect? Pfft, I'm not perfect! ); . The perfect one is you, obviously! AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CUTIE. -heart-  
><strong>MangaFreak3<strong>: Er... I wish I could give you more 8027, but it really won't come until a bit later. D: I'M SO SORRY. Please forgive this authoress!  
><strong>permasmile<strong>: I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU. ;_; Reborn shall be getting an act of his own, hurhurhur! 8D. AND DON'T DENY IT. THIS GIRL CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU. D: ! -heartheart-  
><strong>linda31<strong>: Thank you for your thoughts! xD. Uh, I really like writing down feelings for the characters, haha. I'm so sorry they were dreary ;;. But I'm so glad you continued. The plot will start developing, I promise! x3. I'll try to add more of them, though. I can't guarantee right now though LOL. They'll come later on, I promise! (:  
><strong>XxPockyXx<strong>: ohmygosh. After I saw your review, I spazzed. ;; You gave me one of the nicest reviews ever! Thank you so much! And I'm not beautiful LOL. You're the beautiful one! :D

THANK YOU, **permasmile**, FOR BEING THE COOLEST PROOFREADER EVER! I seriously love you to the EXTREME! C: .  
>AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO <strong>Dream36<strong>! This is for you! 8D.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

**Pairing Hints**: 9627, 5927, 9527, 8027, 8627.  
>Please enjoy Chrome's act~! (:<p>

* * *

><p><em>IV. Misty Fairytale (1)<em>

* * *

><p>Ever since the place was abandoned, there had been no improvements made to return it to its original state. The whole area was filled with cobwebs, dead small animals lying around, ruined and battered up furniture, and mucky walls. The stench that filled the air did not help to ameliorate the forgotten location; it was horrible. And to add to the dismal condition, the mist that surrounded the rotting building made it ominous looking.<p>

However, this territory belonged to a group of middle school students from the town next to Namimori; specifically, students from Kokuyo Middle. These teens formed the Kokuyo Gang. Well, not all of them were teens, but that didn't necessarily matter. They had been there for a while now and the place has become a home to them, despite the disgusting characteristics.

It was ironic, really. The caliginous building held a hidden bond amongst these gang members. Though it wasn't exactly a clear bond, it was strong. Why else would they stick with each other when insults were thrown every hour?

Even if the blond, spiky-haired boy said that he was not worried for the purple-haired girl, it was obvious that he actually was. Any idiot would be able to see through the horrible lie. Well, the boy was an idiot for not being able to conceal his lie. He said that she was only a vessel, only needed for communicating with the leader of their gang...who was currently away.

"Stop worrying, Ken," a male teen besides the canine-looking one said. He let out a sigh, pushing up his glasses to the bridge of his nose. "You say she's just a tool, but even anyone who's stupid could see that you care for her. You're bad at hiding it."

Ken blushed a bit, briskly turning the other direction with a frown. "She is! Ugh... Anyway, don't you get my point, Kakipi? She's acting more different than usual, byon! That stupid girl doesn't smile or even acknowledge us anymore! You know how irritating that is? It's like if she's ignoring us completely, byon! That dumb girl..."

Chikusa let out another sigh. He took a seat on a ripped up couch nearby. "You're such a worrywart, Ken."

"I'm being serious, byon!" Ken sat down next to the yo-yo user, letting out an annoyed grunt when landing on the seat. "She's more quiet than usual and you could see that she's more...sad, compared to usual, byon!"

"You're blushing right now."

"Augh, Kakipi!"

The subject of their topic, also known as Chrome, was hearing the whole conversation. She was in the next room and because of the thin walls of the open door; she was able to listen to every word spat out from her companions' mouths. Hey, it was not her fault they weren't aware of their volume. Actually it was only Ken who was yelling his words. Still...

It was also not her fault she was feeling devastated.

Sweat piled up in her hands because of the hard grip she was giving to her trident. Her unusual colored hair fell loose; strands popped up all over the place and hid most of her upper body. Her bangs covered most of her face, hiding her velvet colored eye along with her eye patch. One would have said her eyes held such beauty of they saw her, but not right now...

She was crying. Nonstop, actually. The news of her boss' lost memories made such a big impact on her. Chrome's heart sank low to the point where she couldn't breathe correctly. Her heart ached and quivers constantly shook her body. Her one exposed eye was red and puffy from continual tears that fell to the ground. The withered floor was even more worn from the drops of water made every minute, every day.

He was the one that accepted her into the family right away, despite being a follower of Rokudo Mukuro. During her turn in the Ring Battles, he was the only one that cheered for her while everyone else looked at her with doubt and scorn. He took her in even if she seemed suspicious. Even though Rokudo Mukuro was previously their enemy, he still _accepted_ her.

...Chrome missed him. She wanted that feeling back, the feeling of recognition and love as a family member. But she couldn't. Not anymore. Maybe from the girls and the kids, but not from him. Who could she turn to when her boss wasn't there anymore? ...He would never accept her now. They weren't fated to have a long fitting friendship. He lost his memories, after all.

She treasured everyone in the Family, but she treasured _him_ the most out of everyone.

Everyday, ever since that heartbreaking day, it had been tough for her. Chrome didn't want to die from her broken heart. She desperately pleaded for him to remember anything. Anything about her. She wanted to hide from the world, hide from the pain... Hide from everything. Maybe that's why she was the Mist Guardian. Mist Guardians were always good at shrouding themselves in secrecy.

Being in mist made her feel like being in a new found, deep darkness. She was so happy about escaping from loneliness, but she was _alone_...again. Even though there were Ken and Chikusa who took care of her, despite their reasons, she still felt like a lost child, standing in a cloud of mist. Alone, alone... Alone.

_Where can I go back to, if you're not here with me, boss...?_

**. 9627 .**

"_This place had a karaoke bar, a movie theater, a bowling alley, and a small exhibit of flora and fauna."_

_He was in a place full of life with a small number of people around. Because he was small, his feet were dangling in the air while his petite body was carried by his loving mother and father. This was sheer bliss, the young boy knew. There was nothing better than spending a fun day at a fun place with the best parents in the whole world._

_Kokuyo Land was full of vibrant smiles and vivacious lives. He could hear voices coming from the karaoke bar. Sure, not all the voices sounded that great, but he couldn't help but grin at the loving atmosphere coming from the bar. The movie theater overflowed with the laughter of the audience. He could hear pins being pushed down by rolling bowling balls. Flora and fauna expressed the joy of spirit and vigor. If anything, this was young Tsuna's favorite place to visit._

_According to him, there was no way anyone can put on a sad face... So why was that little girl crying?_

_He was sitting on a table by himself, licking his ice-cream while waiting for his parents to come back with their lunch. Not far away from him, however, was a small girl sobbing her heart out. The cruel thing was that no one was paying attention to her. People passed on, as if nothing else around them mattered. The only things taken to consideration were bliss and happiness, not the opposite._

She's alone_, the brunet thought sadly_. No one is bothering to be with her... She looks like those lonely princesses in the middle of rings made up of mist... Maybe I could be her prince for today! _He smiled to himself at the thought and ran towards her with determination._

_The girl felt a presence right in front of her and stopped crying for a bit. She looked up to see a glowing young boy in front of her. A hiccup escaped from her mouth as she continued staring at him with curious, violet eyes._

"_Hi!" the cheerful lad greeted. "I'm Tsuna! What's your name?"_

_She didn't answer him. Apprehension was building up in her body and her breathing stopped from the sudden surprise filling up her throat. She was confused by the "Tsuna" in front of her. What was his motive? Why was he here? She was lost..._

But the mist around me stopped moving_, she noted to herself._

_Tsuna could tell the girl was growing nervous. He smiled, shaking his head. "You don't have to tell me your name if you don't want to. I came here because you looked lonely and you were crying... Why were you crying?"_

_Trust was something foreign to her. So was kindness. Loneliness has been her intangible companion since the day she saw her...parents for the very first time with her own eyes. She never felt these weird emotions bubbling inside of her right now... His smile was...warm. So warm... Oh, she was crying again._

"_Wah! Don't cry! Um... I'll go buy you ice-cream! My mommy and daddy gave me a little money for being a good boy so I'll buy you ice-cream! Ch-cheer up, okay?"_

_Ah... She had always begged her parents for ice-cream. On television, all the good kids were given ice-cream as treats for being good girls and boys. She had always tried her best for her parents to acknowledge her and see that she was a well behaved child. But no matter how hard she tried, she was never given sweets or anything like that..._

_And this one boy was treating her, even though she was crying by herself. Didn't he even think she was weird? Not even her own parents accepted her..._

_Tsuna saw that the girl's sobs were softening to little sniffles. That was a good sign, right? He looked back to the food stand where his parents were at. His papa was currently fighting with the cashier about the mistakes of food...or was he bragging saying that he could make so much better food? Tsuna giggled at the silliness and noted that his parents were still preoccupied to notice anything._

_He placed his hand on the girl's hand with a gentle touch. Her violet eyes sparkled at him with curiosity. The brunet tugged on her and lifted her up to a standing position. Tsuna began leading her to the ice-cream that wasn't too far from where they currently were._

His touch is warm_, she thought with a new smile brightening her face, _and the mist is disappearing...

"Sawa – "

The brunet was smiling contently in his sleep. His classmates turned to him with puzzled faces. Some of them snickered to each other, seeing the usual dame-student taking a nap. Others were shaking their hands, knowing that things never changed even after a long while. Gokudera and Kyoko both looked at the brunet with sad faces, but small smiles on their faces. On the other hand, Yamamoto had his head leaning against one supporting hand with a stoic expression.

"SAWADA!"

"Huh? What?"

Laughter roared throughout the classroom. The face the once sleeping boy had on was priceless! Drool was lingering on the corner of his lip and his hair was dishevelled, sticking up in random places. It looked like he had just awoken from bed.

A hand slap on a desk was just enough to silence the loud class. Eyes turned to Gokudera, who was now standing up with dangerous eyes piercing everyone, besides Yamamoto who didn't look too much affected by the slicing glint.

Gokudera took a glance at Tsuna. The boy seemed calm, surprisingly, unlike everyone else. The once self-proclaimed right hand man grew immensely hurt inwardly all of a sudden. Melancholy was filling him up at a speed unthinkable. If this continued on, tears would be pouring out from him soon enough. That was why Gokudera was walking coolly towards the door, opening it and then slamming it shut.

There was now a total absence of sound, speech, and just about anything. Not even the man standing in front of the classroom bothered to let out a grumble.

Tsuna was confused. Was he going to get in trouble for sleeping or not? Well, whatever. Argh, this whole thing made him forget about his dream. What was he even dreaming about? ...It was important, wasn't it? No matter how hard he thought about the dream, nothing was coming up. Ugh...

He turned his head to look outside the wall of windows on the side of the room. The change of weather seemed too...familiar to him. It was as if the boy himself could relate to the weather.

First was the sun. Following up the sunshine was bright lightning and roaring thunder. And right now was...mist. He was aware that it was going to be misty today, but there was that annoying intuition of his nagging at him again. (_Since when did I even acquire such insight?_) ...There was more to this mist. It was not just weather that was present there. The sentiment of sadness was mixing with the...shrouding and dark haze. Tsuna could feel the grief slithering towards his heart.

_I...need to go to the other side of town. Something...or rather, _someone _is there waiting for me... I can feel it. No... I could hear the crying...the sobbing...the wailing. Really, the mist is alluring me to go into it. The depth is scary, but someone is in the middle of it._

He smiled. _Maybe I should go play prince._

**. 9627 5927 .**

_Finally...school's over!_

The brunet rose from his chair and began stretching his tired muscles. Of course he hadn't been paying attention or anything since there was nothing written in his notebook. No, doodles of the teacher being a prick did not count. All he did was stare at the ground, clouds and the whiteness of everything. Yeah, that was something boring, but for Tsuna it was...captivating.

"Please, Yamamoto-kun... Won't you come to Kokuyo Land with Haru and me?"

_Kokuyo Land...? That sounds so familiar..._

The brunet turned to the source of the voice. It was loving and kind Kyoko-chan, pleading the baseball star to come with her to wherever the hell that place was. He could careless about the "date" she was asking him. It was the place that was bothering him.

Yamamoto saw Tsuna paying close attention to their conversation. He flashed a sad smile to Tsuna, who stiffened at the smile. The boy didn't expect to be caught eavesdropping at the talk. However, it didn't seem like the athlete minded much.

"Why don't you go with Tsuna instead?" Yamamoto asked the girl, still with the sad smile on his face.

The school idol whirled around, surprised to see Tsuna still there. Yamamoto took this time to grab his belongings and head out of the classroom, leaving the two alone. Kyoko never even noticed his leaving; her attention was only on Tsuna at the moment.

She slowly approached the boy. Kyoko stopped in front of him, playing with her fingers. It was getting a too bit uncomfortable, but at the same time there was a soothing atmosphere between the two. It was an odd feeling that she really couldn't explain.

"Will you accompany Haru and me to Koku – "

"Yes," he answered, cutting her off.

Tsuna wasn't attentive enough to know that he had given no thought. He just answered right away, thinking that it was best for him to tag along. He felt a connection to that...Kokuyo Land? ...Was it the other side of Namimori? If it was...then good. That was where his heart was telling him to go right now. That person who was calling out to him... Whoever that person was...he was going to save her. Her, because the boy had a strong feeling that person was a girl.

Kyoko put on a soft smile. "Thank you, Tsuna-kun."

**. 9527 8027 .**

"Hey, Kyoko-chan! Over here! Haru is with Lambo-chan and I-Pin-chan, desu!"

The orange-haired girl smiled brightly and waved back enthusiastically. Tsuna was right behind her, watching the females and the young kids with a tender smile. These four were on his most trusted list... Ha, when did that happen?

"Hahi, Tsuna-san is coming with us, too?" Haru inquired. "That's great! We're happy you're coming to accompany us, Tsuna-san! We have more than enough food to go by, so please don't leave, desu!"

Tsuna blinked. Haru had on a huge pack on...much too big for a delicate girl to carry. Haha, but something was telling him that this sort of thing was what Haru did frequently. The brunette seemed like a person to carry many things with her...like costumes, especially peculiar ones. She even seemed fit for costumes like those! He wouldn't be surprised to see her with a really weird outfit on in broad daylight in public.

Anyway, did that ginormous backpack contain only food? That looked way too much for three teens and two small kids to eat! Not even Lambo could finish all that! Besides, this was only going to be a one day trip to Kokuyo Land. Not even a day; just a few hours!

"Oh, don't worry about the big pack," Haru said, winking. "This is just enough for _everyone_ to enjoy! Don't worry, Tsuna-san! We're going to meet a close friend of ours. Haru thinks you'll like the person very much, as well."

"Okay, Haru." The brunet turned to the two kids, who were both holding dolls. "...By the way, I-Pin, what kind of doll are you holding?"

The Chinese girl's face lit up. "This is a doll of I-Pin's master!"

"...What about you, Lambo?"

"Nyehaha! Lambo-san is holding Dame-Tsuna in his arms!"

"...Oh. I don't know if I should feel special or insulted..."

**. 8627 L27 .**

"_One chocolate cone please!"_

"_Coming right up, kids!"_

_Tsuna turned back to the violet eyed girl with a toothy grin. She smiled back hesitantly, looking back at him and the hands they were holding. A small blush began to form on her face. This was the first time she had interacted so closely with anyone. She was never this close to her parents. In the course of her life so far, loving touches were practically forbidden..._

_It couldn't hurt to know how warm things in this world were for once, right?_

_Her thoughts were interrupted by the chocolate ice-cream in front of her. She looked up to the boy besides her and lifted an index finger. Curiously, the girl tilted her head and pointed to herself questionably. Tsuna nodded back enthusiastically and cautiously placed the ice-cream cone in her free hand._

"_You have to eat it now before it melts!"_

_...She just received her first ice-cream cone. Nervousness and anxiety were both piling up inside of her at the same time. This feeling was...exhilarating. H-how was this going to taste? Did this mean that she was a good girl for once in her life? ...Was she getting what she deserved?_

_The brunet was smiling brightly to her. His smile was starting to get contagious. She put on a small, wavering smile of her own._

_A chilling feeling filled up her whole mouth, but it wasn't bad at all. The cream was melting and... Her eyes lit up with happiness. This was good! This was the best thing she's ever eaten! This chocolate flavor tasted so good... This felt like paradise! Joy was the only emotion she felt at that moment. The small smile of hers grew bigger and sunnier._

"_This is good, Tsuna!"_

"_Hehe, that's good to hear!" He paused for a moment, observing her expression. "You know, you should keep that smile on your face. It suits you better than tears. So don't cry anymore, okay? The next time we meet, I don't want to see waterworks coming from your eyes!"_

_She nodded. "Mm, I promise!"_

_For once in her life, she was accepted..._

Kyoko and Haru looked at the sleeping trio in front of them with gentleness. I-Pin and Lambo were both holding onto their respective dolls tightly in their grasps while sleeping beside the teenage boy between them. They were all on the train right now, making their way to Kokuyo Land. Walking didn't take that long, but the girls were eager to visit a certain person.

"They look so peaceful right now," Kyoko said, letting out a soft sigh. "It's like nothing even happened to us...and everyone else the past few days. It's as if this grief, regret, and sorrow weren't even a part of our lives. Just watching Tsuna-kun like that really soothes things down."

"You're right, Kyoko-chan," Haru agreed. "But sometimes it's peaceful times like this when one feels sad the most... It's the smile on his face that reminds us of that horrible event in the future. It's weird... How can something so serene remind us both of painful and cherished memories?"

A calm silence had fallen between the two. The train riding on the rails made a noise that didn't make the silence so tense. Tenderness was making the girls feel so warm, sad, and broken inside. Both of their breathing rates increased slightly. Just watching the boy in front of them created a twister of emotions of inside of them.

...And it seemed as if mist was surrounding him. Outwardly and inwardly.

"Hey, Haru-chan, do you still like Tsuna-kun?"

It was sort of a random topic, but also a topic that the two talked about a lot. "Hahi, of course! Tsuna-san will always be the one for Haru, desu! ...No matter how melancholic he makes Haru feel at times, but that's because Tsuna-san is a caring person."

"Yeah... I believe Tsuna-kun makes the perfect person for anyone out there. I guess that's why all of us are so much in love with him."

The brunette couldn't help but frown a little at that. She noticed, too. There were many people who cared so much for the boy, but didn't he ever see that she cared him so much more? Still, the girl's lips curved into a smile. "If only Tsuna-san remembered and knew, right?"

Kyoko giggled and nodded. "Yeah. I don't think I deserve such a person like Tsuna-kun, though. I knew he had that crush on me for a while, but I didn't know his real self at that time, so I didn't do anything about it. I...kind of regret not realizing anything until his feelings for me started to disappear gradually. He...deserves a better person for him. Someone like you, Haru-chan."

"Hahi...!" Scarlet scattered across her cheeks. "E-eh! Haru is f-flattered and all, but Kyoko-chan is too kind! That's why you deserve a great person, too!"

"Chrome..."

Both girls stopped all that they were doing to take a look at the sleeping boy. The name that left his mouth made them curious about what he was dreaming about. And...this was the first time Tsuna had spoken a name without anyone else saying anything to him. Surely there was no way the brunet would have heard Chrome's name coming from anyone. They never mentioned her to him before. So...how?

It was Haru who was feeling jealous most of all. Chrome was always the one who Tsuna looked out for the most out of everyone else. It was Chrome who Tsuna made sure stayed healthy, not lonely, and comfortable. She never understood how Chrome was placed as his top priority. Haru was always there for Tsuna, so why was it he always looked to Chrome first?

Of course Haru loved Chrome. But right now...she wasn't sure how to feel. Wasn't this her fairytale, too?

**. 9627 9527 8627 .**

_Deja vu... Have I been here before?_

Tsuna looked up at the abandoned place in front of him. Was there seriously someone they all needed to visit in this...stench filled place? The mist was covering much of the outside, but Tsuna could tell everything was in ruins. It was a surprise that Kyoko and Haru knew about such a secluded place like this. Kokuyo Land was so...lonely.

He clutched a little more tightly on the cow-clad boy he was holding. Just entering this land from the start gave shivers to his spine. ...This place was important to him. He knew that from the constant shivers he was getting. What exactly was this place to him?

_...A place full of memories? But in this lonely place? That's weird._

"Hiieee!" Tsuna shrieked, seeing two silhouettes emerging from the mist inside of the building.

"Shut up, byon!" one of the two snarled.

_B-both of them are scary looking! _Tsuna shouted in his mind, observing the two...Kokuyo Middle School students. _A-are they from a g-gang or something? What's with the scars on their faces? That blond guy has really scary looking teeth while the other one with the beanie looks more normal, but scarier if that's even possible!_

The beanie wearing boy pushed up his glasses. "Ah, Sasagawa-san and Miura-san. What a pleasure. The girl you're looking for is inside the building. She's probably in some corner or just staring into space. Just look on the second floor."

"U-um!" Tsuna stammered. He received two nonchalant, yet analytical looks from the two. "I-I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi... It's nice to meet – "

"We know who you are!" the blond one snapped, cutting off the poor brunet. "Hmph, whatever. We're already acquainted, byon. Anyway, the stupid girl is inside, like Kakipi said." He motioned for Chikusa to follow him. "Come on, byon. We have to go get some more snacks."

Chikusa gave a slight bow before sauntering after his annoyed companion. He continued following Ken until they were out of hearing range of the visitors.

"Wait, Ken..."

"What, byon?"

"You probably made a mistake by telling that Vongola we knew him."

Ken turned around, giving the glasses wearing boy an incredulous look. "What the hell are you talking about? He should know us, already! We're always with that stupid girl and Mukuro-sama, after all, byon!"

Chikusa let out a sigh. "Why else would he introduce himself to us, then? ...I'm saying he probably lost his memories or something. That boy was hit in the head pretty hard by the Millefiore boss, anyway. And he had no clue who we were. The girls must have not said anything to them, so probably no one wants the Vongola to know about the whole mafia thing."

"Che. You're stupid, Kakipi."

"Maybe..." He paused for a while, before saying, "No one enjoys a life of a mafioso... If anything, most people try to hide from it... That's probably why Chrome is fit as the Mist Guardian."

**. 14 49 .**

Those words said by that canine-looking guy... They hurt him so much. Despondency was the only thing he could feel right now. ...They were acquainted. That meant everyone he knew...was already acquainted to each other. If they knew each other, why was everyone hiding things from him? He was sure of it now. Secrets were being kept from him. It hurt. God.

He turned to the others. He could even feel Lambo's anxiety from his hold. What exactly happened before? Why were they looking back with depressed faces?

"Everything surely had broken to invisible gems," Kyoko whispered so softly to herself.

Tsuna heard the words she said. They reminded him of the words Yamamoto had told him the day he came back to school.

"_Because...all the bonds and memories...are invisible gems."_

What did he mean? What did she mean? ...What were these so called "invisible gems"? Nothing made sense anymore. Then again, nothing ever made sense to begin with. So many questions swirled in his mind and none of them were being answered. They were never going to be answered...

He hadn't even realized that he was following the others to the second floor. He was so deep into his thoughts that he wasn't aware of being a few steps away from a crying girl. ...Wait, a crying girl. Was this the person...that was calling to his heart?

_She's the one in the middle of the bewitching mist..._

_She's the princess I need to save in this fairytale._

"Ch-Chrome..."

**. 9627 .**

* * *

><p>djklajklj... Whut was this I don't even... :l.<p>

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this weird chapter. ;; ! AND I PROMISE THE SHOUNEN-AI WILL COME AFTER CHROME! She's the only main girl having an act, so no worries! ;~;. The guys are on their way~.

Review and let me know what you all think? ;x ...! (**AND WISH Dream36 A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY WHILE YOU'RE AT IT! 8D**)**  
><strong>


	8. Chapter 8

._. I know I promised for it to be longer, but it ended up being short again. I rushed through this because it's been around two months, and it's Tsuna's birthday so I tried to quickly update for this very special day! Yeah, sorry about the hiatus, guys. I've been so busy with school and I'm STILL busy with school, so bear with me. The next update will probably be around another two months later? Or even longer than that? I don't know, man... And I apologize greatly for my absence!

AND WHOA, **20 reviews for the last chapter? **I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH ;_;. I read through them and I was so happy with what you had to say! Which is why I ended up not listening during some of my classes and writing plans and scenes instead. :) So thank you all so much for your support! I'm sorry I can't reply to them now (and I have PMs to reply back to...!), but I assure you that I read every single word of your reviews, so thank you!

This was not edited, and I kind of rushed it, so... BUT I HOPE YOU ALL LOVE IT JUST THE SAME :( !  
>So, <strong>permasmile<strong> (since I don't know if I should say your name or not xD), you can hack into my account and just edit if you want! IF you want! O: .

THANK YOU GUYS, AND ENJOY! & AMA, I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS. :)

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!**

**Pairing Hints: 9627, 8627.**

* * *

><p><em>IV. Misty Fairytale (2)<em>

* * *

><p><em>She was having fun, more fun than she's ever experienced in her five years. In just one day; no, scratch that. In just a few minutes, she got to understand emotions that she never knew existed, all from one boy who decided to be kind to her. Her parents never bothered to show her happiness that other kids received, or even love, but this bubbly feeling inside of her felt so warm. The warmth that the brunet was giving her was far better than anything in the world.<em>

_She was genuinely happy for the first time in her life._

_This was like how princesses were supposed to feel, like in those fairytales she read. Princesses always had their tough times and it was always that one special person to help rescue them from the evil. That person...was Tsuna. He was saving her from the pain she lived with. She didn't have to hide from the world, as long as he was with her. She didn't have to be accompanied by haze as long as he was shining besides her._

_These kind of people... They were called princes, right?_

_And that smile... It was heartwarming. Just seeing the boy's smile lifted her in higher spirits, and she never even knew such a sentiment like that existed! What was it about that smile that made her heart all fuzzy inside? What was it about this one boy who can make her feel all joyful just when she was depressed the second before? She had no idea and it was all so strange, yet she loved every single second spent with him._

_The girl felt like a person. A real person living in a world full of laughter, smiles, and love. Was this all a dream...? Where had she been the whole time when the world was this lively? Was she finally given a chance to remain with these loving emotions? Was she finally able to escape from the dark abyss she's been trapped in...? There was no more of that sinister hovering cloud around her. There was...a bigger, tender region enveloping her._

_It was all thanks to Tsuna, who still had on that heartfelt grin._

"_Did you enjoy the chocolatey goodness?" he asked amiably. "It's good, right? Sweets make anyone smile in just a second! That's why I thought I should treat you to ice-cream! They're all fluffy and cold, but makes you feel all happy inside!"_

_She shyly nodded. She started playing with her fingers and looked down with embarrassment. "Th-that tasted really good... Thank you so much, Tsuna."_

"_Hehe, don't worry about it! I'm just glad I was able to make you smile!"_

_The boy paused for a moment and looked around, as if he was looking for something. The girl saw that his head stopped shaking at the direction of a dirty blond-haired man and a brunette woman. Curiously, she looked back to Tsuna, who seemed to have a mischievous grin on his face. She felt her hand being held by his hand and their fingers had intertwined the time of the hand-holding._

_A light blushed formed on her face. "U-um, Ts-Tsuna? Wh-what are you doing?"_

_The grin never left his face, even after he answered. "I'm going to take you to a place full of smiles and laughs! I'm going to make today the best day ever for you! Just stick with me and trust me on this, okay? My goal today is for you to have fun and never cry again!"_

_She felt her body being dragged away. She was a bit nervous to go with his plan since she never spent a full day with anyone else before. However, her upward curved lips never left her face. He was going to give her the dream she's always wanted. He was going to sweep her away from the darkness that's always been chasing her no matter how much she avoided it._

Ah... _A moment of realization struck her. _The region that's enveloping me... It's the sky.

He was right in front of her. The boy that she had been crying for this whole time. She was looking up to him with such wide eyes. Everyone was there – Tsuna, Kyoko, Haru, Lambo, and I-Pin. Were they worried about her? But why was the brunet there? Did he even...know what was going on? She just couldn't understand why he was there with them...

Just because Kyoko and Haru asked them to? Not for her sake, right?

For a short moment she was so elated to see her boss right there. She knew it wasn't a dream since her butt was aching horribly from sitting in an uncomfortable position for a while. She would have gotten up from her fetal pose, but the aching pain was nothing compared to what she was going through inside. Physical pain always felt so much better.

Her happiness dropped after seeing his expression. He...said her name, but his face had a troubled and confused look following. She wanted to put her head back in her arms and hide the dry tears tainting her face. Her hope was false, anyway.

The anguish was controlling her again. She was starting to shake all over in such a severe way. He didn't know who she was. That was obvious. Her hope had disappeared completely when she saw the foreign look in his bright, honey-brown eyes...and she couldn't bring herself to stare at them anymore without wanting to cry again, and again.

"_She's crying again? God, will there be a time when she doesn't cry at all?"_

"_My goal today is for you to have fun and never cry again!"_

The next second, she noticed her head was no longer buried in her hugging, sedentary position and she was once again looking into those soft, warm eyes. Did she raise her head because of the bright voice that suddenly rang cheerfully in her mind? Or was it the light, yet blazing touch coming from the brunet's hand on her own? He had that friend, signature smile of his embroidered on his lips, and she had to wonder if her blush could intensity any further.

Tsuna's other hand reached into his pocket for something. His eyes brightened once he felt the item he was looking for and pulled out a soft handkerchief. He began to wipe away the tears marring her face, still not letting go of her hand. Gosh, the motion was done so gently and the girl almost forgot that she was back into reality. His being in front of her... Was it seriously not a dream?

_But he doesn't remember me_, she reminded herself. _This is reality. Reality...and not a dream. It's a mist I cannot escape, because the only light that could shine my way out is _gone_._

She could feel the radiating kindness that was emitting from the boy. This atmosphere felt too familiar to her; it reminded her of his attempt (even though it was kind of a failure) to warm her heart to the rest of the group, which eventually happened. This reminded her of the _love_ that he had shown to all his Guardians and friends, _like a family..._

"_Dear, Nagi was in a car accident."_

"_Thanks to her, one of my business talks was ruined."_

"_The doctor said she could be saved if they transplant organs of the same blood type."_

"_Don't joke around! I'm not going to have them cut me open for _that _girl!"_

"_What are you saying? She's _your _child, whom _you _brought with you!"_

"_I never understood what that girl was thinking. She couldn't even make friends. She didn't even grow close to _you_. ...It's not just me. _No one_ really wishes for her to keep_ living_."_

Her parents' conversation is what made her believe that "family" was a term that did not exist. Yes, she has seen close bonds between children and parents, but she could not believe them to be lasting in the end. After all, that's what happened to her, right? No, it was not some false consensus effect. Their conversation showed how she has been living. Family meant nothing to her.

Until she met him. Him – the boss.

"_No more crying, okay?"_ That sweet, caring voice...

"Are you okay, Chrome-chan?"

Kyoko's worried voice snapped the violet-haired girl back to (the cruel) reality. Everyone was around her now. Tsuna in front of her, the two teenage girls standing at the sides of Tsuna, and the kids besides her, tugging on the green fabric of her Kokuyo Middle uniform. Lambo and I-Pin were both on the verge of tears as they both gripped tighter onto her clothes and their dolls.

_Dolls...?_

"I was right!" the brunet suddenly said excitedly, smiling fondly to Chrome. "About your name, I mean. Chrome, right? It's kind of weird how I knew you name. Lucky guess, maybe? Ahaha... Oh, uhm, I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna. It's nice to meet you, Chrome."

To her, it was weird how he could stay smiling despite the somber and melancholic atmosphere in the air, yet the negative, intangible sentiments had no effect on him. Probably because he had already calmed the lightning's rage and powered the sun to shine brightly once more. Or maybe because his mind was lost of everything. Not literally everything, but to her, it felt like he had forgotten _everything_...

And yet, he was so bright and friendly. She just could not understand.

She was speechless. She wanted to greet him back with the same cheerfulness and sunny smile, but the mist was obscuring her joy of seeing him again. The haze depicted a sad-filled lie – seeing him again made her heart clench with agony. It burned her.

Illusions are lies, and lies are illusions. Reality is darkened, and that is how she felt.

Not wanting the awkward silence to take complete control of the situation, Kyoko clapped her hands and turned to her best friend. "We should go set up the food and lay the picnic blanket down, right Haru-chan? We can't let the food go to waste, or our trip will be in vain!"

The brunette was listening, but she was preoccupied with her thoughts. Her eyes lingered sadly on the boy's hand that was _still_ on Chrome's hand. But...Chrome was one of her very precious friends. It took her a lot of willpower just for Chrome to open up to her. She could not lose that. This could _not_ affect their friendship... It couldn't... But, she remembered that the orange-haired girl was talking to her. Haru let out a stuttering, nervous laugh.

"A-ah, you're right, Kyoko-chan! Aha, we should get things ready now, desu!"

"I'll help, too," Tsuna offered, handing the handkerchief benignly to Chrome before walking off to help the two girls.

The young Chinese girl looked up sadly to the Kokuyo Middle School student. The five year old lightly jumped onto the older girl's knees and once she landed, I-Pin gave Chrome a comforting hug. "Are you okay...?"

"You have to be okay now, right?" Lambo added, asking with a worried tone.

Her violet eyes softened at the concern the two children were giving her. She was happy that she got to warm up to such loving people that worried so much for her, even if she was quiet and secluded. And yet, these individuals crawled their ways into her heart. She stared at the dolls they were holding, but a bit longer on the Tsuna doll that the cow clad kid held.

She genuinely smiled with meaning and brightness as a single tear fell from her eye. Her fingers gently brushed the hem of the handkerchief, light scarlet coloring her face as she did so.

"Yes, I am."

**. 9627 8627 .**

He was her knight in shining armor, and he soon became her shining prince.

She still remembered the day he had appeared in her life. She totally ignored him, only focused on the little baby that was besides him. It was ironic, really, how she ended up loving him. She hated him. No, not hated. More like she wanted to erase his existence on the face of this earth just to keep the kids pure and loving, not influenced by his outrageous behavior!

But she was wrong. He ended up being her love. Real love, not those crush kinds of love. She did not just like him. She loved him, so much, that it seriously hurt when she found out that all his memories had disappeared to nothing. He didn't recognize her, even when she was hoping that he would remember a tiny memory or just anything at all.

Her vision shattered around her when he didn't have a clue of who she was. It _hurt_. At that time, in the infirmary, no one knew how _badly_ she wanted to throw a rampage in the room. She isn't a person like that, but he was such a _big_ part in her life. Because of him, she had met wonderful people including Kyoko, Lambo, I-Pin, Reborn, Fuuta, and Chrome. Because of him, she felt like she belonged in a whole new family.

And all because of him, she was given a chance to fall in love.

But geez, Chrome. It was so obvious her precious friend Chrome was in need of someone like him. Chrome needed someone like him in her life, because she knew Chrome was suffering through so much. She knew that he was also Chrome's prince, too. This fairytale didn't only belong to her – she was sharing it with Chrome. It's not like she didn't like sharing her fantasies, but she couldn't share this one story.

She couldn't give him up just like that. After all, have you ever heard of a fairytale in which the princess willingly lets go of her prince that easily? No, and there is only one reason why.

The princess is the star of her own story, and she was always given a happy ending with her prince.

**. 8627 .**

"_A little more to the left!"_

"_But the crane isn't moving! Move, thingy, move!"_

"_J-just a little more to the left, Ts-Tsuna! Ah, no wait, a little more to the right... Or the left!"_

_The little boy stuck out his tongue and squinted his eyes, trying to focus hard on the crane and the prize that he wanted to win for the girl he had accompanied for a while now. He had luckily found more money in his pockets, so he had been dragging the girl around – feeding her food (because she was too scrawny!), buying her little charms, and just trying to make some friendly talks with her._

_So far, things were going great. He was really happy that she had gotten used to his company and she hadn't been crying ever since he had first bought her ice-cream. He made such great progress, and she was smiling a majority of the time! He did try asking for her name two or three times, but she still felt uncomfortable saying her name to another person and he totally respected that._

_While thinking about that, Tsuna didn't even notice that the time limit was up and that the crane was slowly going down. He noticed once a sound came from the machine, indicating that there was something he got from the pile of dolls. Oh, did he get the prize he was aiming for? The young boy turned back to the bundle of prizes, but the doll he was aiming for was still there..._

"_Ack!" The boy bent down to the open the hatch, but there was only a weird looking owl plush sitting quietly. "Ah, no... I spaced out and picked out a different doll by mistake!" He let out a sigh and pouted, staring at the owl with regretful eyes. "I'm sorry... It's not the prince-y doll you wanted."_

_He heard her giggle as she gently took the owl away from his hands. She stared at it for a while, turning it at different angles to observe the item carefully. Content with the doll, the girl placed her hand on his shoulder and shook her head, smiling brightly to him._

"_This is perfect, Tsuna! Sure the owl is a bit strange, but I like it a lot! The mismatched eyes of its isn't even creepy. The orange eye somehow really matches with the indigo colored eye, eheh. I'm going to keep it forever with me, okay? It's going to be my good luck charm and instead of it being my prince, it'll just be my knight who protects me and cares for me! I think that's better than a prince, right?"_

_The brunet tilted his head in confusion and eyed her a bit strangely. "I don't understand your taste, but it's okay! I'm glad you like it!"_

"_I'll like anything from you, Tsuna! That's because you're my first friend and all..."_

_He noticed her turn a bit sad after saying those words that reminded her of when she did _not_ have any friends at all. But that sad expression didn't seem like the intense one he felt when he first saw her crying. Those tears were filled with so much brokenness that Tsuna, at first, didn't think he was able to make it far in having her become happy again. And if she wasn't happy to begin with, then at least happy for the first time._

_However, now she was changed into such a bright person. He was so relieved at first to see that she could pull such a heartwarming smile on her face despite the continuous tears that comfortably fell from her eyes. It was so contrasting, but it was a good contrast. One that he hoped would continue on, and one that he hoped would remain for the rest of her life._

"_No more crying, okay?"_

"_Y-yes! No more, I promise!"_

_She held up her pinky with one hand and held the owl doll tightly with her other. The sadness was gone now, only to be replaced with gentle eyes that sparkled with joy and amity. The glow of her smile was contagious, so he smiled back and linked his pinky with hers._

_And at that moment, he swore to be her knight in shining armor._

Chrome burst up from her sleeping position, panting loudly at the sudden dream.

It was _unreal_. How was it that there was a young version of her with a young version of her beloved boss? How...? Her question was answered when she immediately remembered _everything_ – all the dear memories of the past that was stored in the back of her mind. Now the _real_ question rose up: why did she force herself to forget the memories of her first friend?

That's not the reason for her crying once more. She started to cry because she was startled to know that she _knew_ Tsuna, and that he was the first person to give her hope. Hope to friendship, love, and family. He had given her everything that she desired since she was young, and all she did in return was forget those important and valuable memories.

Chrome realized. He was the reason why she wanted to continue living after that accident and why she had accepted Mukuro's offer for illusory organs for a vessel. She wanted to continue living, all for the sake of knowing that she had someone essential in her life that she had to look for. Chrome lost the memories of Tsuna at first, but she did get feelings of knowing that all this – her continuation for living was to find _him_, Tsuna.

She was stupid to forget her most dear friend, which is why her stupidity brought her out of the makeshift bed and brought her out of her bedroom in Kokuyo Land. She sneaked past the loud snoring Ken and the inaudible Chikusa, taking off her boots because she knew the heels would create noises of a bomb if she stepped around the creaking floor. Going around barefoot didn't affect her much. All she wanted to do at the moment was go to the destination she _had_ to go to.

It was around five in the morning or something like that, so the chill in the air was still present. And no, the chill didn't have an effect on her. Chrome needed to make this trip; it was too important to her. It was going to be a long trip, but that didn't matter. The distance, length of time, temperature, and her barefoot condition were nothing compared to her stupidity of purposely slipping her consciousness of Tsuna.

She finally reached it – the mansion not far from the city. Her parents were rich, but they were amateurs in raising a daughter and didn't waste any of their time trying to help Chrome grow into a fine young woman. This was why she hated going back to the mansion, her home, whenever she had gone out with her parents at times. Chrome always dreamed of escaping the place, which soon enough happened and she was thankful for it.

But Tsuna is important, so she had to come back.

Her parents always worked early in the morning and come back late at night usually to party with their other rich friends or just work overnight. That's why she knew there would be no one, so she didn't have to worry about getting caught by her parents. Besides, Chrome did not think it would be alright to just randomly appear in front of them when she was gone for such a long period of time.

The attic was where the storage was, which was probably where the item was located. She already memorized the mansion when she was little, so making her way to the attic was no problem at all.

_It's got to still be here_, she thought as she rummaged through the boxes. _I know for sure I didn't throw it out at all and I do remember leaving it up here before I last touched it since I didn't want my parents finding out about it... They wouldn't come up here, so it still has to be here somewhere... Oh!_

Her eyes glittered with glee and her smile widened when she found the thing she had come for. She brushed off the dust that gathered all the years and held on to it tightly once most of the dirt was off. The feel of it was still the same as ever and it felt so nostalgic.

"It's funny, though," the girl whispered to herself as she observed it once more. "It looks a lot like my current box weapon, the only difference of it being the mismatched eye colors. Yet the eyes being mismatched is the same concept. How ironic..."

She paused, smiling lightly to the doll in her hands. "I'm just glad I found you."

**. 9627 .**

Ding-dong! ...Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding -

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Tsuna grumbled to himself in annoyance by the constant doorbell ringings that sounded through the house. Really, who would ring a doorbell that many times? None of his neighbors are like that, and it's not like the neighbors really came over to his house, unless they needed something from his mother.

He slowly opened the door, only to be tackled onto the ground with a thud. The boy winced in pain from hitting the floor and looked up to see who was on top of him. His eyes widened in surprise to see Lambo staring at him with those mischievous glints in his eyes. I-Pin and Fuuta were besides him, laughing at his pathetic fall and probably the look on his face.

"Lambo, I-Pin, Fuuta! What are you guys doing here?"

"To play, duh!" Lambo answered loudly, grinning from ear to ear (wherever those were). "Dame-Tsuna, you have to play with us today! It's an order from Lambo-sama!"

"Tsuna-san, play with us!" I-Pin added with delight.

"You have to!" Fuuta pleaded. "Please, Tsuna-nii?"

_Ah, I feel special to know that there are those who are willing to play with me like this_, the boy thought with a new smile on his face. _I feel so lucky right now. I know there are those who wouldn't play around with kids because they're annoying, but I can't seem to think that about them. Not even Lambo. Or is it that something about them makes them feel _too _important? Well, I guess that doesn't really matter._

"Sure, guys! I'm looking forward to it!"

**. L 2 I 27 .**

It had taken her a few hours to just find the item through all those boxes, but it was worth it. But now, she had to go through the city again just to get back to Kokuyo Land, and seeing all the people around her made her feel very uncomfortable. It was probably because she had no shoes on and she was wearing an eye patch, which were two things people did not really have on when they went out.

Still, she found _it_, which was all that mattered right now.

"Ah...!" Chrome let out as a person had accidentally stepped on the back of her foot. She turned around to see who the person was as a natural instinct, and her eyes widened a bit to see someone familiar. "Oh, Cloud Guardian-san... It's nice to see you."

He merely nodded in response. Hibari then looked down with a bit of curiosity. "Hn, what happened to your footwear? You're not wearing shoes in a busy town like Namimori."

"Ah, uhm... It's a long story. I kind of came rushing in the morning to run an errand for myself and I figured I would make it back in time before people came outside to shop, but I guess I didn't..."

"Hn..."

There was a bit of an awkward silence after that. The raven-haired disciplinarian watched the girl fidget nervously with the _item_ in her hand, which was too familiar. But it looked old, which he had to question. The event with the future happened recently, so why did the item she have looking like it was from ten years ago or something?

"Tsuna-san! I see the store there, desu!"

Both of them perked up by the name that was voiced out from not far away. They turned to the direction of the voice and was surprised with what they saw.

Haru was linking her arms with the brunet boy happily, which he smiled fondly back to her. The kids were around them, and the sight just made them seem _so_ close. And watching that, Chrome felt the life drained out of her. She just couldn't believe what she was seeing. Emotions rushed out of her so quickly that she felt the need to broke right down there and sob loudly to her heart's consent, but she couldn't do that.

So, Chrome ran. Ran far from the scene that caused her heart to ache.

And in the process, the owl doll had fallen to the floor and away from her grasp.

**. 9627 8627 .**

Lambo was the first to notice the violet-haired girl. He saw her eyes dilating in surprise and pain that felt so similar to his pain from not long ago. He couldn't see Chrome crying like that and looking so broken with the expression of hers.

So he ran to her, ignoring the sounds of his friends that tried to call for him back.

**. L 96 .**

* * *

><p>I seriously will try updating soon! If it wasn't for school, argh! AND THOSE COLLEGE APPS -_- ...!<p>

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I'll try to get the next one in soon! Review and tell me what you think? :)  
>P.S. Did anyone go to the KBS concert in NJ? The one with the K-pop stars? :D<strong>

**Thank you all for your support!  
><strong>


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